Where Darkness Gathers
by firestorm2
Summary: A story mostly from Raven's POV about his search for who he is, for the Zoid Eve, and against all odds, will he find love on the way? Please R+R!*complete*
1. Beginning

Where Darkness Gathers  
  
A lone figure trudges across the desert wrapped in a black shroud. He is tired, weary. His rage and sadness know no bounds. He is Raven, the lonely.  
  
Raven. My name. I suppose it was fitting, back then. Gore. Carrion. That is what a raven eats. And what I created. Still, I can't help wondering, what was my name, before? Before Prozen. I feel my lips twist in a grim smile, devoid of light and warmth. Prozen. The one who tortured me, sculpted my mind into the killer I am. The one I answered to.  
  
The one who gave me orders. Orders, hah! What do they matter, now? I'm lost, lonely, weary. Flyheight. I don't hate him anymore. Instead, I just want to sleep. Slip endlessly down that long, dark well, never to wake up. All I really want is understanding. With Shadow gone, I have none. I am the most hated individual on all of Zi.  
  
Isn't there someone who doesn't hate me? Why am I talking to myself? No one cares about my thoughts. No one. Where am I going? I'm just trudging across the endless sands. Finally, one day, I'll crash to dust, never to rise again. Then I'll have rest. Still, what choice do I have? None. I'm just an empty shell. When was the last town? When I stumbled into there, people stared. They stared in horror. To them, I must have looked half dead. With my tattered clothes and sunken eyes, I'm the living dead. I have nothing. No hate against Van, or Prozen. No happiness, joy, or mirth.  
  
I've had none since the day Prozen and I met. All I have is rage. Just uncontrollable rage and sadness. I laugh bitterly. I have no purpose, except revenge. Revenge. That blessed word. Against Hiltz, and Ambient. Murderers of my beloved Shadow! But I'm a murderer, too. The blood of hundreds is on my conscience. Did I have a choice? Yes. No one deserves to die more than me. And yet. my body keeps going, through the motions of life. Shadow. The only one who knew me, my hopes, my dreams, my mind.  
  
Dead. Murdered. Gone. Gone. The finality of that word. *Flashback* I leap out of the genosaurer. I turn and see Shadow standing silently, not moving. "Shadow?" Nothing. No. No. "Shadow?!" hoping beyond hope. Futile. And then, I scream. Scream for everything, the life I lost, the love I wanted, the rage, and destruction I've caused. And for Shadow. *End flashback* and now, I still hear my scream, that wild, feral howl of despair, every day, night and when I sleep. And beyond sleep, in my dreams.  
  
I'm weak and the sand is rushing up to meet me. Just let me die! I cry silently before falling into darkness. Just let me die. 


	2. The Dream

The Dream  
  
Van was running across the desert on his way back from visiting his sister, Maria. "What's that?" It was a lump of black, a break of the yellow-brown monotony of sand. He spun the controls and angled toward the thing. "It's a person!" he cried. He jumped out and nudged the person. No response. "Hello?" Nothing. He turned them over. " Raven!" What was he doing out here in the middle of the desert? "Oh well. I can't just leave him here."  
  
He picked him up, surprised at how light he was. How long had he been traveling? He slung him into the blade liger and they set off for the Guardian Force base. Van was worried. Was Raven insane? Why in hell would he be traveling alone in the desert without water? He shrugged mentally and opened a com- link to the base. "Blade Liger to base, blade liger to base." Irvine's face appeared on screen.  
  
"What? Don't tell me you saw another flying papaya!" he replied. "Listen, do you know what happened to Raven after the battle with the Death Stinger?" "All I know is that he hasn't killed or destroyed anything. Why?" Van smirked. Was Irvine going to be surprised! "I found him. He's unconscious and hasn't looked like he's eaten anything in weeks." Irvine stared and fell over.  
  
"Ahhhh! Galumph!" He struggled upright. "Well, turn him in!" "I can't." "Whaddya mean you can't?!" "He's almost dead." Irvine sulked for a second and then replied, "Then bring him to base." "Alright. Van, out." Van leaped down from the blade liger. "Hi, all." Moonbay, Thomas, and Irvine stared at him before yelling, "WHERE'S RAVEN!!" He pointed. "Up there."  
  
He climbed up, picked up Raven, and threw him out, yelling, "Look out below!" Irvine, Thomas, and Moonbay started running around in a dither. Finally, Irvine caught him. "Whoa, Van wasn't exaggerating when he said he was half dead. I doubt he weighs 70 pounds." Raven was thin and emaciated. They paraded into the infirmary, where Dr. D and Fiona were working. "Wha.! Why'd you bring that killer in here!?"  
  
The doctor squawked. "Nessicity." Van replied. "Grandpa, check him out." Muttering darkly about impudent young people, he moved to the bed where Raven was spread-eagled. He pried open his eyes, listened to his breathing and heartbeat, and assessed his general condition. " He's almost dead! He's suffering from severe dehydration and starvation. Physically, he's fair. Mentally, he probably still carries some scars." Van nodded and dumped Raven in a hospital room and locked the door. "Let's leave."  
  
I was warm. That was nothing new. I tensed my extremities. Hmm. Something heavy was on top of me. A blanket? I sniffed. Sterilized. I listened. Coughs, talking, machines. A hospital. I slitted my eyes open a crack. White tile. I turned my head to the left. An I.V. A camera. A locked door? Let me out!!! Let me out!!! Wait. I listened carefully. Flyheight was here. Irvine. The transporter. The old man. Okay. I'm at the guardian force base. I'll be fine, as long as I don't dream. The world's spinning, and then, oblivion.  
  
"Uraagghh!" An ear-shattering scream pierced the night. Immediately Van was up and running toward the infirmary where the scream had come from. Once, there, he saw a horrifying sight. Raven was asleep, but screaming and fighting. Moonbay, Irvine, Thomas, Dr. D, and Fiona were trying to restrain him. Sadly, they were failing. Raven was berserk! He threw Irvine and Fiona across the room. His eyes were open, but blank and unseeing. Van dived in and added his strength to the fray.  
  
The organoid. It's here! I leap for it with my 7-year old legs. My dad grabs me and throws me back. Mom's body is on the floor. He has a gun. "Blam!" The organoid is unfazed. It leaps forward and clamps his jaws on my dad. It's red. Ambient! My dad screams. I scream. I run forward and pummel the organoid. It swings its tail around and I hit the wall. A flash of light. Father. he's dying. Red. A tidal wave of blood. My blood. Mom's blood. Dad's blood. Ambient. I'm being tossed about like a leaf in a tornado. "You can never go home. You're doomed to wander until you die." Who said that? Ambient? Hiltz? Or. me? 


	3. The Escape

The Escape  
  
Raven screamed once more, the most gut-wrenching sound any of them had ever heard. "Shadowww!!" He fell back on the bed and lapsed back into unconsciousness. "Well, Grandpa, I think you were right about the mental scars." Irvine whispered, for fear of starting another dream like the one before. He was bleeding from smashing against the wall. "Yes, the poor boy." "The question," Irvine thought, "is where did he summon enough strength to hurl me across the room?" Suddenly, two amethyst flint-like eyes snapped open. Raven shot up his hand and grabbed Irvine's wrist in a vise-like grip. They heard a snapping. Raven's grip had just broken Irvine's wrist. Irvine howled and tried to wrench his wrist away from Raven's steel grasp. " Hiltz will pay." he whispered.  
  
"Hiltz will pay." I heard a whimpering. Well, what do you know; Irvine's wrist is broken. I loosened my grip and noticed the whole Guardian Force was standing in the room. Fiona is slumped across the room on the wall, her leg sticking out at an odd angle. Irvine's head is fractured. Van, the transporter, and the old guy are bruised and look slapped around. "What happened here?" My voice sounds unfamiliar. I haven't used it in days. "You really don't know, do you?" Van croaked. "No, I don't." I snap at him. "You were screaming. It looked like you were asleep. You were totally berserk! You hurled Irvine and Fiona across the room at the same time. And then you screamed once, became unconscious, and then grabbed Irvine's wrist and broke it. What was so traumatic that you became berserk?" I lay back. I can remember everything. So, I have a double reason to kill Hiltz and Ambient. "I, I don't remember." I lie. Van seems to accept this. Irvine is still whimpering and hopping around in pain. I stare at him and laugh hysterically. Why am I laughing? Why? I'm just shielding myself from the fact that I caused this pain. Every time I destroyed something, I laughed. That way, I didn't have to face the bodies and lives I destroyed. So, what now?  
  
Van was freaked. Raven was laughing. Him, the dark soldier, laughing? "Uh, we're going to leave now." Everyone nodded mutely. Raven bored into him with those dead eyes. "Fine." They walked out and down the hall. Dr. D put Irvine's arm in a splint that would do for now. They went into a meeting room and got an orderly to write down the meeting.  
  
Being a transcript of the Meeting concerning the Elite Soldier Raven  
  
Van: What do we do now? We can't keep him here, or let him go. Dr. D: I suggest we keep him here for further observation. Irvine: So he's a lab rat? Dr. D: (Shuffles feet and clears throat noisily) Not at all. But he's very interesting. Mentally. Moonbay: So, what do you propose we do, Grandpa? Dr. D: Keep him here and study him. I have never heard of something so traumatic that a person is berserk in their sleep. Van: All in favor of keeping him here, say aye. Van, Fiona, Irvine, Thomas, Dr. D, Moonbay: Aye. Van: Very well.  
  
I stare at the door. Hmm. Time to make a plan. A. Escape. B. Find a zoid. C. Find Zoids Eve. D. Get Shadow back. And E. Revenge! Ok. Escape. That'll be simple. I jerk the I.V. out of my arm and change into my old clothes. I inspect the lock. Suckers, thinking a normal lock can contain me! I grab a pin off of the I.V. stand. The door swings open without a sound. I slip out and blend into the darkness. So, hangars are usually aft. But first, to get some supplies. I slip into an office. Not much here. I shrug and move on. 5 offices later, I'm starting to get annoyed. Do they have nothing of value here? I riffle through some papers. For some reason, one catches my eye. It's blueprints! I whistle softly. This zoid is awesome! It's large, white and feline. Name: Liger Zero. Only one weapon, but the ability to add armors and other weapons. But apparently, this zoid refuses to let anyone pilot it. When anyone's tried, they've died. Somehow, I know. This zoid was meant for me. They've hidden it, but that's no problem. I can get in. BLEEP! BLEEP! Lights are flashing and alarms are blaring. Look's like they've discovered I'm missing. I grab the blueprints and slide along the wall. Time for the fun to begin. 


	4. The Liger

The Escape  
  
Raven screamed once more, the most gut-wrenching sound any of them had ever heard. "Shadowww!!" He fell back on the bed and lapsed back into unconsciousness. "Well, Grandpa, I think you were right about the mental scars." Irvine whispered, for fear of starting another dream like the one before. He was bleeding from smashing against the wall. "Yes, the poor boy."  
  
"The question," Irvine thought, "is where did he summon enough strength to hurl me across the room?" Suddenly, two amethyst flint-like eyes snapped open. Raven shot up his hand and grabbed Irvine's wrist in a vise-like grip. They heard a snapping. Raven's grip had just broken Irvine's wrist. Irvine howled and tried to wrench his wrist away from Raven's steel grasp. " Hiltz will pay." he whispered.  
  
"Hiltz will pay." I heard a whimpering. Well, what do you know; Irvine's wrist is broken. I loosened my grip and noticed the whole Guardian Force was standing in the room. Fiona is slumped across the room on the wall, her leg sticking out at an odd angle. Irvine's head is fractured. Van, the transporter, and the old guy are bruised and look slapped around. "What happened here?" My voice sounds unfamiliar. I haven't used it in days. "You really don't know, do you?" Van croaked.  
  
"No, I don't." I snap at him. "You were screaming. It looked like you were asleep. You were totally berserk! You hurled Irvine and Fiona across the room at the same time. And then you screamed once, became unconscious, and then grabbed Irvine's wrist and broke it. What was so traumatic that you became berserk?" I lay back. I can remember everything. So, I have a double reason to kill Hiltz and Ambient.  
  
"I, I don't remember." I lie. Van seems to accept this. Irvine is still whimpering and hopping around in pain. I stare at him and laugh hysterically. Why am I laughing? Why? I'm just shielding myself from the fact that I caused this pain. Every time I destroyed something, I laughed. That way, I didn't have to face the bodies and lives I destroyed. So, what now?  
  
Van was freaked. Raven was laughing. Him, the dark soldier, laughing? "Uh, we're going to leave now." Everyone nodded mutely. Raven bored into him with those dead eyes. "Fine." They walked out and down the hall. Dr. D put Irvine's arm in a splint that would do for now. They went into a meeting room and got an orderly to write down the meeting.  
  
Being a transcript of the Meeting concerning the Elite Soldier Raven  
  
Van: What do we do now? We can't keep him here, or let him go.  
  
Dr. D: I suggest we keep him here for further observation.  
  
Irvine: So he's a lab rat?  
  
Dr. D: (Shuffles feet and clears throat noisily) Not at all. But he's very interesting. Mentally.  
  
Moonbay: So, what do you propose we do, Grandpa?  
  
Dr. D: Keep him here and study him. I have never heard of something so traumatic that a person is berserk in their sleep.  
  
Van: All in favor of keeping him here, say aye.  
  
Van, Fiona, Irvine, Thomas, Dr. D, Moonbay: Aye. Van: Very well.  
  
I stare at the door. Hmm. Time to make a plan. A. Escape. B. Find a zoid. C. Find Zoids Eve. D. Get Shadow back. And E. Revenge! Ok. Escape. That'll be simple. I jerk the I.V. out of my arm and change into my old clothes. I inspect the lock. Suckers, thinking a normal lock can contain me! I grab a pin off of the I.V. stand. The door swings open without a sound. I slip out and blend into the darkness. So, hangars are usually aft. But first, to get some supplies. I slip into an office. Not much here. I shrug and move on.  
  
5 offices later, I'm starting to get annoyed. Do they have nothing of value here? I riffle through some papers. For some reason, one catches my eye. It's blueprints! I whistle softly. This zoid is awesome! It's large, white and feline. Name: Liger Zero. Only one weapon, but the ability to add armors and other weapons. But apparently, this zoid refuses to let anyone pilot it. When anyone's tried, they've died.  
  
Somehow, I know. This zoid was meant for me. They've hidden it, but that's no problem. I can get in. BLEEP! BLEEP! Lights are flashing and alarms are blaring. Look's like they've discovered I'm missing. I grab the blueprints and slide along the wall. Time for the fun to begin. 


	5. The Prophecy

The Prophecy "Do you have an organoid?" No, but if my pilot has one, it can merge with me. "Oh. Then how can you talk to me?" I remember being something else, a long, long time ago. The organoid I carry within me now is dead, but I still have the ability to speak mind-to-mind. We were running across the desert, caught up in the thrill of being in the right place. I saw a strange ledge and steered towards it. It was a huge rock tablet. There was writing on it, so Liger magnified it. It came out as this.  
  
Two great zoids link the land, Together always, hand in hand, One destroyer, the other death, Tied together by a never-ending band.  
  
One only, To pilot death, One only, To pilot destroyer, Always fighting, Always biting, Never to be at peace.  
  
The Dark One comes, To pilot Destroyer, The Murderer comes, To pilot Death, Only woken, Never broken, To fight the never-ending battle.  
  
Destroyer built to last the ages, Death built for never-ending rages, Dark One lost, to purpose and meaning, Because of the murderers call.  
  
Destroyer light, fast as the night, Answering to only one call. When the deathsong is sung, Answering to only one, When Astarael howls.  
  
They meet in the canyon, Beneath the twin moons, To fight and bite and just despite, For the sake of the shadow.  
  
Death's fire bringing to the air, The presence of the land affirmed, The destroyer weak, reeking despair, To fight the awesome battle.  
  
Astarael comes to save the destroyer, Sacrificing life, For the sake of the dark one, But who is to say, For bad or for good, How will this battle be won?  
  
Finally all elements come to dark ones aid, Death charges up for one last assault, Explosion ignites the fiery furnace, Ignites the rage of the dark one, But who will survive? Who will die? How will this battle be won?  
  
With essence bright, Where all souls burn, Upon the night, The Dark One yearns, For the lone wolf to come to his side, For Astarael to guide him.  
  
"What does it mean, Liger?" He growled, I don't know, maybe when we find zoids eve we'll find out. "Well, can you take me there?" Yes. We turn and run, exhilarated in being together and the speed. While I sit here, I review about the liger. He's good, no doubt about that. He doesn't talk much, though. Oh, well. When I get Shadow back I'll have someone to talk to. But I want to know, what are Ligers capabilities? We're here. I blink and look around, is he joking? There's nothing here but desert! You will see. Wait. I look up. A beam of lightning hits us, and I black out. 


	6. The Wolf

The Wolf  
  
A big thanks to all who reviewed, and fox, you're right, the liger was developed after. But I thought it would be a nice twist. *blah* = zoid speaking. //blah// = equals human talking to zoid. ************************************************* "Owww." It's dark. Where am I? "I see you've woken up." Who's there? The lights flick on. I turn toward where the voice came from. It's a girl. Black hair, tall, about my age. Her eyes, they aren't right. She doesn't seem totally. human. Her eyes are silver. There is nothing in them. No spark of life or nothing. There's nothing but me reflected in those eyes of chilling silver. They're strange. They are a wolf's eyes! "Who are you?" My voice comes out as a croak. "I have many names. For now, call me Astarael." The girl's voice is weird; it has a hint of ruthlessness and wildness. It sounds like a wolf's howl. "Where am I?" "Liger will tell you. You will find that what you see is not necessarily what it is." What does that mean? " Get up, your liger has been worried for you." Fine. I swing out of the bed and move to the door. Astarael rises up from the chair. She's graceful, but moves unnaturally. She seems more wolf-like than human. The room is big, but furnished plainly. It's stone, with a high vaulting ceiling and no windows. We move out of the room and into a long hallway. "The Liger's hangar is two doors down on the left." I run faster, eager to see liger. Astarael breaks into a long lope, keeping pace. I skid to a stop and fling open the door. Liger lets out a loud roar, happy to see me. *Raven! You're all right! * I run over to him and climb on top of a crate so we're at eye level. //Yeah, I'm fine. What is this place?// *Astarael did not tell you?* // You know who Astarael is?// *Yes, of course I do. She's my creator. * I fall backward in shock and look at her. She's standing by the door, with a small smile on her face. // Do you know what's wrong with her? // * How do you mean?* //Well, her eyes, and the way she moves.// *She's a berserker.* //A what?// *A berserker. She's half wolf. When she is taken by the rage, bloodwrath is what it is called, she turns into a wolf. In this state, everything she sees is a target for destruction, and everything is utterly destroyed. * //Then I don't want to get on her bad side.// *That would be advisable. * //I'm tired, I'd better go.// * Until next time, Raven. * I climb down and head towards the door. "Has he filled you in?" "Yeah. You're his creator?" We turn towards a door and walk into a kitchen of sorts. My stomach growls loudly. "First, eat. Than we'll go someplace more comfortable and I'll tell you about Liger." She pushes a hamburger at me. I eat ravenously. In five minutes it's gone. She watches quietly with her frozen eyes. "Come."  
  
Van and Irvine were yelling their heads off at the guardian force base. "I'm telling you, he picked the siax out of the air like it was bright day! And I was going my fastest, too!" Irvine shouted. " And he beat the blade liger in five seconds!" Van added. The rest of the bunch stood around, utterly flabbergasted. " If you don't believe us, look at the battle data!" "Very well, I will." the doc said. He downloaded it onto a screen. They quickly crowded around the T.V. They saw once again the Liger standing alone in a sea of sand, lit red-gold by the sun's last rays. They saw the siax charge toward it, faster and faster until it was too fast to be seen by a normal zoid's eye. They saw the Liger stand still, while the siax ran circles around it, preparing for the kill. The claws glowed smoldering gold, than Liger leaped! Twice, thrice, he struck! The siax fell, it's leg almost completely severed. The Blade Liger charged, extending its blades. Liger Zero rushed to meet it, with the stabilizers down and both boosters flaring. 30 feet separated them, 20. the Liger snapped the stabilizers up and soared into the air. Higher, higher, over the blade liger! It pushed its legs down on top of the blades, snapping them. The liger crashed into the sand, system frozen. The force stared at the frozen tableau, hearing the Liger's roar of triumph echoing in their ears. Doc was the first to move, shutting off the video. "That was a battle like no other!" " How do you mean?" "First, the chances of any zoid being able to pick out a siax at full speed are astronomical! Second, no human could precisely know the exact moment to strike at the siax or the Blade Liger. We are looking at a zoid and a pilot unlike any other!" " So what you're saying, is that the liger did this?" "It seems that way, yes." "Did you design it to be able to do that?" Van inquired. "No, I found it, a burnt rusting hulk out in the sand. I repaired it, and then." The doc shrugged. Van thought for a moment. "All right, ready the blade liger, dibison, and siax, we're going hunting."  
  
I'm sprawled on a couch, listening to Astarael's tale. "First, I'm a lot older than I look. I am one of the last of the ancient zoidians. And if I have my way, Fiona and I will be the last." She grinned wolfishly. There are two long fangs in her mouth. " I am millennia's older than Reese, or that pitiful excuse for an organoid, Specular. When the zoidians were destroyed, I sealed away two zoids, to sleep for eternity until the other woke. You remember the writing on the rock?" The verse flashes through my mind. She watches silently. "Yes. You are the dark one, and liger zero is the destroyer. Hiltz is the murderer, and death is the death stinger. And it is true, that you are lost to purpose and meaning, because of Hiltz. You know what I mean." Visions of that terrible day that Shadow died run through my head. "You want to resurrect your organoid." "Well, yes." " Than follow." 


	7. The Resurrection

The Resurrection  
  
We trot down the hall, and end up in front of a large steel door. She quickly inputs a code. Whoa! Inside there's a large screen with a map of Zi, with lots of flashing dots. In the corner is a large capsule, with a tube connecting it to the computer. She sits down and waits, hands poised, over the keyboard. "The organoid's name?" "Uh, Shadow." I'm still wondering what the heck all of this is. She types it in. The computer whirs and clicks, and than a picture of Shadow replaces the map of Zi. "That's him!" She types some more, than hits enter. A thick dark smoke streams into the capsule through the tube. "Place your hand on the data pad." She instructs. I comply eagerly. Smoke gushes out of the capsule. It pops open. Inside. my hear stops beating. No. No. It can't be. "Shadow!" I scream. He leaps out and butts me happily. I start crying, wiping the tears away with one hand and hugging Shadow with the other. He's just as I remembered. The black metal, the sky- blue eyes, everything! Wait. " A touching reunion, I see." I turn to thank her, but she slips out of the room like a shadow. : Raven, where is the genosaurer?: "I don't have it, anymore. I have a better zoid now." :And its name is? "The Liger Zero." :The Liger Zero!: "Yeah, why are you so surprised?" :He's a legend among organoids! He is the most powerful of all!: " I've missed you, Shadow." :Likewise.: We stride out of the room and into the room where Astarael is loading data. "Yes?" "Do you have a zoid?" She snorts. "Are you kidding? This is Zoid's Eve." I sit down with Shadow, still feeling wonderfully euphoric to have Shadow back. "May I see it?" She turns around." "It's a him. And yes, you may see a simulation. Not the real thing yet. " She hits a few keys. A simulation pops up. It's a coal-black wolf zoid, thin, with no hydraulics or joint caps. It seems like a molded suit of metal that can bend. It has no weapons that I can see except for 5 blades. 3 on the face, 2 on the sides. The eyes, weapons, and trim are shining gold. "Not very well armed, is he?" She presses some more buttons. A panel on the back slides open and a double barreled electric shock cannon pops up. A barrel extends out of the mouth. It's a super charged particle cannon! Boosters slide out of the side. "With both boosters going, this zoid is capable of reaching speed 5 times higher than that of a lightning siax. Now you know why I am called The Wolf." "What's his name?" "Shadowrage." I stare mesmerized by the awesome power and deadly beauty contained within this zoid. ::Wow, Shadow, this looks like it could cream even the Liger Zero.:: :Yes.: Astarael stares inscrutably with those creepy eyes. " You must be tired, go to bed." I hop onto Shadow and he bounds down the hall. I am joyful, with Shadow by my side, as always. 


	8. The Test

The Test  
  
The guardian force was moving, following the Liger's tracks. "Huh?" Van stopped in surprise. The tracks ended, as if the earth had swallowed Raven up. Doctor D, Fiona, and the rest leaped out and stood around where they ended. "This is weird."  
  
Shadow and I are wandering the halls of this massive underground complex, looking around for information on Shadow or me. A screen activates, and Astarael's face appears. "Get to the computer room, some friends of yours are here." :: What do you think is going on, Shadow?:: :The Guardian Force?: ::That's probably it.:: I leap onto his back and the boosters activate, sending us flying down the rock tunnel. She runs out of the data room and hooks an arm around Shadow's neck before swinging up behind me. "Take us down this hall and two doors to the right, please." I turn around and look into her eyes. "Now's your chance to see the wolf in action." she says. Shadow skids to a stop in front of a steel door, and busts through it. Astarael leaps off, calling. A low growl shakes the earth. "Yes, yes, I know, but he's with me, so you can come out now." A zoid melts silently out of the darkness, with not so much as a clank marking his passage. It's Shadowrage! I start to shake, seeing the deadly malice in his eyes. "Rage, we're going to battle. We haven't had one in millennia!" He bends down and opens his cockpit. Astarael leaps in. "Come on, we don't have all day!" "I'm coming?" She leans down and hauls me up. "Shadow, please merge with Shadowrage." He complies, opening his wings and merging in a flash of light. I settle in the back, looking at a screen mounted on the back of the chair in front of me. Astarael types in commands. "Raven, the passage through the lightning beam is hard. The real danger is if I decide to go up to mach 10, the G-forces could destroy you. If I do, hit the yellow button below the screen in front of you. Now, I'm sure Hiltz has been tracking you under the order of the Dark Kaiser, so you tell Shadow to keep a lookout for him or that scum of an organoid Ambient." I nod and relay the order to Shadow. A beam of black lightning hits us and we become it.  
  
"It's no use, it's like him and that zoid were picked up and carried away." Van moaned. A distant roll of thunder interrupts the force's dinner. The clouds are an ominous purplish-black and are moving towards them fast. They scrambled for their zoids to take shelter from the storm. A black bolt of lightning hit the ground with the weight of a hammer. "Shit!" Van swore. Doc and Moonbay in the Gustav were simarly shocked. Black lightning? That wasn't possible. The smoke cleared and a black zoid stood there. Van glanced back at Fiona. All the color had gone from her face. "Fiona?" She shook her head. "It can't be! It just can't be!" "What, Fiona?" She started shivering. "It's her! Astarael!" "Who the heck is Astarael? And what's that zoid?" Moonbay quickly asked doc. He didn't know either. Suddenly a face appeared on the screen. A face that looked young, but the eyes. they were the eyes of a wolf. Chilling silver, cold, caculating. "Hello, Guardian Force." "Who are you?!" Van yelled. "Oh, I have many names. Astarael is one, and the other? Let's say you've heard of me, for I am The Wolf, and all who challenge me shall die!" The zoid blurred and stood at the ready, waiting for the first move. "Irvine, do you know her?" "Yes! She's the most powerful zoid warrior that ever was, and ever will be! She defeated a deathsaurer with one blow! She disappeared a couple of years back, and people hoped she was dead, for that zoid can destroy entire planets!" Van muttered, "Looks like we've got our work cut out for us, Zeke."  
  
Astarael cut the visual link but left the audio link up. "Ready, Raven?" I nod mutely, afraid, and yet eager. She threw her head back and howled along with Shadowrage, their voices blending into one song, a song of destruction, death, and darkness. I shiver and scan the area for Hiltz.  
  
Irvine leaped forward in the siax. Two gold boosters extended out of the side of the wolf, and it disappears. Irvine, running in a line across the plain, glanced to the side. The wolf was easily keeping up, the boosters were extended but not firing. He suddenly heard Astarael yell, "Hit the button, Raven!" The boosters powered up and she shot off, so fast that nothing could see her. Irvine skidded to a stop, looking frantically around, but knowing that he was dead. "Where are you!" A black blur of wind slipped through the crack in the rocks before bounding upward into the air. " Right above you." He looked up, and saw the wolf coming down in all it's fury, the golden eyes smoldering like the flames of hell. The siax crashed to earth, it's body crumpled like so much tin foil. The cockpit, however, was intact. Irvine sat there, shocked. She hadn't killed him! Why? Before, she would have smashed the cockpit and killed the pilot. Thomas ran forward in his clumsy dibison. Beak blipped a warning in his ear. The Wolf stood calmly, knowing that the clanky zoid could fire all day and not hit it. He fired a burn out and Shadowrage slipped sideways, so fast that it could not be seen. It extended the blades on the side and loped forward, slow enough to let them see and marvel at its awesome power. Thomas desperately fired off all his missles, trying to stop the incoming assault. Shadowrage dived underneath the missles and sliced through the bison's legs. The mighty zoid fell onto the ground, sparking and hissing.  
  
"Hit the button, Raven!" I slammed down my hand on the button, milliseconds before we began our wild dash. The seat slid backwards and leaned down a bit. The landscape slipped into one long, changing blur. We ran toward a crack in the rocks and slipped through it. Suddenly, we were in the air, high above the siax. We fell, down, down, and crushed the siax's body. Then the blades opened, and we slashed through the bison's legs like tissue paper. :: How are you doing, Shadow?:: :This is great! This zoid is the best one I've seen!:  
  
Van gaped, as The Wolf destroyed Irvine's and Thomas's zoids like they were models. "What can we do? There is no way to beat that, that thing!" " Don't worry, they're fine. You did notice the care I took in not destroying the cockpits, right?" Astarael said. "This wasn't even a challenge. I haven't met a pilot and zoid that could stand up to me in millennia. Unless you count Raven and the Liger Zero. So, I'm not going to destroy you. Farewell." They turned and ran off.  
  
:: Shadow, what does it feel like to be merged with Shadowrage?:: : I can show you, if you like.: :Please.: My mind seems to swirl in a pit, and than it's there. I feel my legs loping underneath me, the weapons on my back, the breeze blowing across my metal skin. What?! My mind reels. This zoid is alive! It has a brain. It thinks, speaks, is sentient and self- aware! But most of all, the power! The body humming with deadly energy, the fibers that make up the muscles tensing, the deadly, explosive, hungry, power! 


	9. The Revelation

The Revelation  
  
"Hmm.." Hiltz was watching the battle, happy that he had found a worthy opponent. That wolf zoid looked powerful, but nothing could stand up to the death stinger. "Isn't that right, Ambient?" He said looking over at his friend and partner, the red organoid, Ambient. "Grawll!" Yes. Reese was slumped in the shade of her genosaurer with Specular standing guard. But he still needed to find that kid Raven. He ran off after Shadow died, and no one had seen him since then. Prozen wasn't going to be too happy if he didn't locate Raven in the next six months. Raven. That idiot little kid. Prozen had had his eye on the kid ever since he had shown an affinity for zoids when he was six. A month after, Ambient had destroyed that trust by killing his parents. Then Prozen took him, trained him, and the rest was history. He turned and leapt into the death stinger, calling Reese. She woke up and they were on their way to intercept the mysterious zoid.  
  
"Did you enjoy the battle, Raven?" Huh? "Uh yes, it was great." "That's good." Bleep! Bleep! Lights are flashing from my screen. I glance down and see a familiar figure. Two familiar figures, actually. Hiltz and Ambient. I start to shake with barely suppressed rage, seeing those two bastards upon a cliff, enjoying themselves. "Shall we defeat them, Raven?" I tear my gaze away from the screen. "I don't know, what do you suggest?" I will not help you with Hiltz or Ambient. That time is coming. I will, however, help you train. For now, I'm going to go kill Reese." Okay. "Why do you hate her so much?" "Do you really want to know?" "Yes." "It's a sad story, but I will tell it to the best of my ability. Other things that happened back then are covered in the fog of centuries, obscuring my memories. But this still stands, and every day I feel the pain of my loss."  
  
The Tale of The Wolf  
  
We were a happy family, living in peace at the border of the empire and republic. It had always been a disputed border, but my dad made a good living off of old zoids that had been used in battle. My brother and I ranged around the old ruins, not caring who found us, for when you're young, you think you're immortal. One day, we were exploring a ruin that had some old computers in it. I had loved computers since I was little; my dad had trained me and my brother in the basics of hacking and piloting. We didn't have a mom, and dad never talked about her. Anyway, we found the computer room. Amazingly, the computers still functioned. I hacked into the security system, and found a map leading to a secret hangar with two prototype zoids in it. My brother, Sameth, but more commonly know as Sam, found the door. Sam and I went down the staircase, and ended up in a gloomy room. We could make out the shapes of two zoids, but weren't sure what they were. When we flipped on the lights, we gasped in awe. We had found the first Raynos and Genosaurer. I piloted the Genosaurer, and Sam piloted the Raynos. He had always loved airborne zoids. The Raynos didn't have any paint, and was plain silver. With these zoids, we could now go much farther afield. The Raynos only had one weapon, a 72 mm laser cannon. The Genosaurer had a black paint job with blue trim. The Genosaurer had its teeth and claws, plus a double barrel long-range gun,not to mention the charged particle cannon. Sam usually scouted around, looking for interesting things. Once he found something, he would radio me and I would catch up. One day, Sam was sick with the flu. By then I was 10,000 millenniums old, but I looked 10. Sam was 70,000, but looked 7. My father mostly let us do what we wanted, and that was why we were so reckless, but powerful. I was bored, so I set off. I went into the forest, and was pounding around, slipping through gaps in the trees. I found an organoid. Instead of being the usual dinosaur type, it was a wolf type; the only one of it's kind. I named him Blind Seer, for he was cobalt blue, except for a band of black around his eyes. He was wary at first, but I eventually earned his trust. I was happy, with Blind Seer by my side, but I still wondered, what was it like to be an organoid? I decided to make a copy of Blind Seer, sharing the same mind. What was felt by one would be felt by the other. Once I had completed the copy, it merged with me. I felt the earth beneath my claws, the wind rippling across my metal skin, the trees and grass from an organoid's point of view. And I saw myself. Blind Seer and I were sharing the same mind, always. If he was destroyed and I had the other copy in me, I would die as well. When he merged with the genosaurer, it gave me an edge in combat, for I knew intimately each little quirk in its body. I knew that the claw on the right was stronger than the left. The tail could slam zoids but the wires would sever. One day about two years later, I came home from training, to see a plume of smoke in the distance. I knew what it was, but I refused to believe it. I opened the boosters and we roared toward the smoke. When I arrived, it was a scene of utter carnage. My home, destroyed. I saw a hand, sticking from the wreckage. It was my father. Dead. I couldn't cry, I was numb. I didn't feel anything, and then I was consumed by a horrible, burning rage. Sam was dying when I found him, burnt horribly. He lived long enough to tell me that the person who had murdered him and my father had a blue organoid and genosaurer. And then, he died, died with a smile on his innocent face, for he had lived long enough to know that his death was going to be avenged. I let his lifeless body slip from my arms, knowing that for as long as I lived, I was never going to rest until I destroyed his murderer. I turned to Blind Seer. He alone knew the pain I was feeling in my soul. I vowed then that I was going to give them a horrible death, letting the fear that Sam had felt sink into their heart. I first found Reese at a small lake in the mountains, and we battled. I won, but let her go, for I wanted her to spend her days looking back over her shoulder, fearing that she would see me on the horizon. We battled once more, and I won again. The battle that would change my life happened at a field not far from where Sam had died, ironically. The battle went on for a couple of hours, and finally I had her down. Little did I know that Reese had hired a merc to shoot me. A laser beam tore through the genosaurer. Blind Seer screamed, and so did I,for the laser had ripped a hole in me. I leaped out, and turned, to see Blind Seer fall, silently, endlessly, forever. The copy unmerged in time to save me, but it exploded while it was coming out. Blind Seer died, gave his life to save me. I still carry pieces of Blind Seer within me now, constant reminders that part of me died that day. I ran, ran from the fear and the pain,the spot where my only friend had died. So I became a berserker, because of Blind Seers pieces within me. Now, I will get revenge, for Father and Sam. And for Blind Seer.  
  
I sat quietly, digesting this information. She had lost her only friend, her brother, and her father. She turned and looked back. "You're the first person I've told about Blind Seer. Normally, I distrust humans, but you are different." She didn't elaborate, and I didn't ask her to. " Now is the day I get my revenge. I have waited millennia. I have called the Liger Zero, please pilot him. I do not want any interference." "I can understand that." "Thank you, Raven." We strode across the plains, on our way to revenge for something that had happened thousands of years ago. 


	10. The Payback

The Payback  
  
"Hey Liger." Hello. Who is this? "This is Shadow, my organoid." Ah. He's powerful. "Yeah. Do you mind if he merges?" No, not at all. "Thank you. Shadow?" He opens his wings and slashes downward in the dragon of golden light. I climb in and we race for a cliff, from which to watch the battle. Shadowrage is getting closer, and Reese has noticed. She waits calmly, obviously not scared of The Wolf. Pure folly.  
  
There she is, alive and well. Not for long, though, not for long. "Astarael." I stop and scan the area, making sure that no one except Raven is around. The Death Stinger's here, but that's no worry. " I'm here to take back what's mine, Reese, and for revenge for Blind Seer." "Oh, your pitiful organoid? I'm sooo sorry about him." I feel my rage building, spiraling upward in the dragon of flame and fury. I shake madly. She's never seen me like a wolf, so now she will die!  
  
I watch her tensely, seeing her shake with a mad glint in her eyes. She shakes faster, obviously going into the bloodwrath. She opens her mouth and howls, a long piercing sound that makes me shut my eyes. I see images of her holding her brothers body, and of her running with Blind Seer. I open them and jerk back in horror. She's a wolf! Not precisely, but her hair's longer and the fangs have grown longer and are sticking out of her mouth. And her face is all covered with black fur. Shadowrage walks forward, going faster until he's a black blur of wind. The Genosaurers boosters open up and it goes into the sky. They're going so fast that all you can see is the shockwaves in the air where they are hitting. They separate and crash back to earth. Reese is panting, Astarael seems slightly amused. "You've never seen my new zoid, have you?" She queries. "I assumed you would be using your genosaurer. Where is it?"  
  
Shadowrage prowls, looking for the weak point in the defenses. " He's busy at the moment, and you'll never find out why, because you will be dead by next moonrise." Shadowrage extends all the blades and points them forward. I notice they're all slightly curved, like a saber. Electricity washes down the blades in a shower of sparks. The blades vibrate, turning gold with a tinge of black. They point forward, until he looks like a giant needle. Shadowrage flicks out the boosters and warms them up. " Liger, what is he doing?" Using his second most powerful attack. It's called the Lightning Blade attack. I'm guessing he intends to wound the genosaurer, then tease him by slowly whittling down its power, and then use his ultimate attack to finish her off. " And that is?" No one knows except Astarael and him. The other's who saw it are dead. Watch the battle.  
  
The boosters hum, slowly building to a fever pitch. The blades glow brighter, until they are almost too bright to look at. The genosaurer gets ready to swing it's tail and try to knock Shadowrage off his feet. He blurs and leaps over it before flying toward the genosaurer with the blades whistling, cutting the air. A squeal of metal permeates the air, and I can feel Reese's fear. Shadowrage bounces up, into the sky, before landing on a cliff and watching silently. The genosaurer stands still for a second, and then the entire tail falls off, cut cleanly through. "Wow, Liger, if that's her second most powerful, then I don't want to know what the most powerful is like." That is wise. Shadowrage stands silently on the cliff, waiting for Reese's move. She breaks out the long- range cannon and fires. The bullets arc toward Astarael faster than I can see. Shadowrage twitches, not much, but the bullets miss. She bounces off the cliff towards the genosaurer, and slams into him. Shadowrage dips his head down and comes up with a mouthful of wires, making the genosaurer unable to use his boosters. "She is so dead, Liger." Yes. We watch, knowing someone has to be witness to this awful dance of revenge, destruction, and death.  
  
The Genosaurers gargantuan frame is scarred with innumerable nicks and scratches. Shadowrage is completely unmarked. I sense Reese's fear and knowing that she's come up against a power she cannot hope to defeat, or understand. I hear Astarael's voice in my head, saying that she wants her to feel the pain and fear that Sam had felt. I know that she has passed the limits of fear, that Reese is on the borders of madness. And I feel pity. Pity for my one-time friend, who, unbeknownst to me, Hiltz, or the Dark Kaiser, has committed murder most foul, and now she is getting her just retribution. Raven! She is going to use her most powerful attack! I glance quickly downward, in time to see her rip the wires that let the genosaurer move into shrapnel. Shadowrage's blades swing forward and touch at the front. The particle cannon barrel extends and joins the blades at the point where they all touch. Then the boosters rotate, turning forward. The whole ensemble vibrates, shining bright gold like the flames of hell. A small ball of blue-white energy gathers at point where they all merge. It grows larger, until it's the size of a jeep. The ball whines, whirring with the deadly energy. It slams forward, hitting the genosaurer with all the force of a hurricane, and all of it's explosive power. A white light grows, eclipses everything, and all that I see is the light. The genosaurer screams, high and keening, a death rattle. It pierces through the light, and it clears away. I stare quietly at the spot where the genosaurer stands. It is ash-gray, standing in this form for a second, before crumbling into dust. A fine gray powder is all that remains of the once-great genosaurer. It's gone, gone. Shadowrage lifts his head, looking at the twin moons, before howling in triumph. The howl seems to vaguely have words in it, but I'm more worried about Astarael. I race down the cliff and stop at Shadowrage. Astarael climbs out of the cockpit. She's normal now. "I have avenged my brother and Blind Seer. I am a berserker no longer." She smiles shakily before toppling forward into my arms, exhausted by her efforts. I look down at this girl, who helped me when none would, and I wonder, what does she think of me? I think maybe I'm starting to love her, even though she is strange and moody. :Raven loves Astarael, Raven loves Astarael!: "Shadow!!" :Sorry.: Shadowrage growls once and suddenly I feel his voice. It's low and growly, but there is a hint of kindness beneath the ice. Just like Astarael. Raven. We need to leave. I sling her into his cockpit before getting in the Liger Zero. Time to go. 


	11. The Training

The Training  
  
Astaraels room is three doors down, the combination is 313. "Thanks, Shadowrage." I leap out and lift Astarael up. She murmurs something and lapses back into unconsciousness. I carry her out of the hall with Shadow walking alongside, nudging her worriedly. 1..2..3. I enter the combination and push the door open with my foot. Her room's sparse, with only a bed, computer, desk, and chair. I put her down on the bed and leave to think about how I'm going to defeat Hiltz. I'm eating a sandwich and watching a documentary on the Guardian Force when they start talking about how they had been destroyed by an unknown zoid. They show a picture of Astarael and Shadowrage fighting in one of her earlier battles. Apparently, any information on Astarael and Shadowrage would be much appreciated. I hear footsteps behind me and turn in time to see Astarael stumble in. "Hi, Raven." She pulls out a chair and sits down. "You okay?" I inquire. "Yeah, but going berserk takes so much energy, it hurts." I gesture toward the T.V. " So, they're looking for me, aren't they? Futile. They'll never find me." I voice the question I had been wondering. "Uh, where are we, exactly?" She replies tiredly, "In Zi's core." She looks up. I notice that her eyes, they aren't silver anymore. Instead they're a bright glittering green, full of knowledge. They're deep and sparking, with no end. "Oh." I make her a sandwich, which she accepts gladly. "So, you're going to train me?" She grins. " I'm going to teach you to feel your zoid. If you really link with them, it will give you a definite edge in battle. You will sort of be able to predict the next move." She grabs the plates and carries them over to the sink before dragging me off to the training room.  
  
"Fiona? Fiona? Hellooo." Fiona was sitting in the blade liger's cockpit staring straight ahead. "What do you want?" Van was surprised at this change in the normally calm and placid Fiona. " Who is Astarael? I know she's a zoid warrior, but how do you know her?" Fiona sighed. " She's a ancient zoidian, like me. But yet, not like me." "Huh?" He quickly set up a com-link to let the others hear. " There were two types of zoidians. The Wild, and the Zi. I'm a Zi, and so is Reese. The Wild never associated with us. They lived in the forest with their zoids, and were extremely warlike. Some of the Wild had this special ability with zoids and organoids. They could sense their thoughts and were nearly indestructible in battle. Others had a curse called the Bloodwrath. They would go berserk with bloodlust. In the bloodwrath, they're more animal than human. In this state, they would always win, but they would invariably go insane and die. Astarael was the first to have both abilities. But they came with a hidden price. Her bloodwrath was horrible! She went mad and would hit even her own. She was the most powerful warrior that had ever lived. Her family and clan were killed, and so was her organoid. She went berserk and destroyed all of the Zi, except for us. She was piloting a blue genosaurer. (a/n: It was really Reese!) Then she dropped out of sight. And then, well, she came back. The reason I was scared was because nothing in sky, water, or earth could stand up to her. So, the Wild are gone. She is the last of her kind and is alone in the universe. Well.. there are rumors of another Wild that survived. A boy. But no one knows if it is fact or fiction. " " That powerful, eh?" She nodded soberly. "Van!" Moonbay called. "There's something weird up here you should look at." He jumped out. Everyone was standing around a pile of gray dust. "That's just it." Dr. D said. " However, do you recognize this?" It was a scrap of blue metal. " Specular." Van whispered. He looked off into the roiling storm clouds, feeling helpless and afraid. "This was the genosaurer." Everyone gaped. The mighty genosaurer had been reduced to dust. There was no doubt in their minds who had done it. He looked at Fiona. "I'm guessing this is the product of the bloodwrath?" She nodded. "We still need to find Raven." They ran back to their zoids.  
  
"So, you basically concentrate on the zoid, and try to imagine what they're feeling. If you get it right, then there you are." I was listening to her explanation of mind merging. It was fascinating. "All right. That's enough technical stuff." We walk down to Liger's hangar. I sit on a crate and concentrate. I feel a jolt and I open my eyes. Whoa! I'm seeing through two pairs of eyes. I think about moving my legs, and I see Liger walk forward. "Good job, Raven. You've grasped this extremely quickly. Do you feel ready to try a battle? We'll start off easy, but later you'll battle me." I nod. This is so cool! I've finally found a friend who doesn't care who I am or what I did in the past, she likes me anyway. I climb into Liger. Astarael climbs up and hoists herself up to sit on his back. The room shakes and feels like it's going downward. The huge doors open. It's an arena! There's a sand floor, and it doesn't have any trees. It's made out of marble, with a high, vaulted ceiling. "Goodbye Raven, I'm going to be watching from the observation deck." She jumps off and disappears through a door in the side. "Your first opponent is a Dimantis." Her voice comes through hidden speakers. "It is equipped with two gatling guns, steel claws, and a mortar launcher." The dimantis comes out and stands still. A bing! noise is heard and he opens up both gatling guns. My mind quickly runs through all the options. Liger decides the issue by dodging. I thank him and take back control. I run forward and somehow I'm up in the air and my claws are blazing. The squeal of torn metal breaks through the daze. We leap back and wait. The Dimantis is completely destroyed. "Good job, Raven. You've done quite well. I was going to make you fight a molga next, but you've done so well, you'll fight me and Shadowrage instead. You're lucky in the fact that the arena is so small I can't use my boosters. So our top speed is going to be the same." A panel in the floor opens up and Shadowrage comes up through the opening. Raven. It's Shadowrage. As a warrior in my own right, I am going to fight you with all of my power. It is a severe limitation that I cannot use my boosters, but I will still do my best to win. No damage that can't be fixed easily will be inflicted by me. I can repair myself easily, so attack with everything you've got. He sinks into a guard stance, waiting for my move. I open the boosters and race forward. Shadowrage slips through the Liger's legs, grabbing a conduit and ripping it. We duel, trading shots and attacks as quickly as the wind before leaping back and attacking again. I bound forward, deciding to try the move that Liger used against the Blade Liger. We leap into the air. I feel the calculations Liger is doing flash before my eyes in a stream. I crouch while cutting the power to the boosters, slamming into Shadowrage with my whole weight. We leap back, Shadowrage stands for a minute longer, and topples. Astarael climbs out. "Good job, Raven! You're the first person I've ever lost to." I disconnect our minds and leap out. Astarael is standing there, smiling. She's changed since the battle with Reese. She's not mad that she lost, in fact she's happy for me. I smile back and we walk back together, with Liger and Shadow by our sides. 


	12. The BattlePart 1

The Battle, Part 1  
  
Dah dum, dah dum! The battle to the finish! {} = Raven talking to Shadow/Liger ( ) = Liger/ Shadow talking to Raven. DS= Death Stinger **************************************************************************  
  
"Fiona? Can you sense Raven?" Van was depending on Fiona to find Raven, seeing as he could be anywhere on Zi. " No, I can't. Wait," She brightened. " I feel him, about 20 miles to the northwest." Following Fiona's directions, the Guardian Force set off.  
  
"Raven, you know as much as I do on the subject of battling." Astarael is telling me that I've learned as much as she can teach me. "I can battle Hiltz?" She smiles. "Yes, Raven." I whoop happily. " Let me go contact him to set a place to battle. Wait here." I sit, waiting. She comes back. You will battle in one hour, at a canyon. The battle is set for 10:00 P.M."I get up to go talk to Liger and Shadow. She watches me leave.  
  
"I don't get it, he should be right here." They were on the edge of a canyon, waiting for Raven. A storm rumbles in the distance. "Uh, guys? Has anyone else got a sense of déjà vu?" Van asked. Thomas and Irvine nodded wordlessly.  
  
I strap myself in and whistle for Shadow. He merges and I sink my mind into Liger. Shadow', Liger's, and my minds meld together, sharing all experience and intelligence, a whole. Astarael climbs up behind me. We wait and slash through the lightning beam.  
  
"Oh. My. God." Gasped Moonbay. "It's the Death Stinger!" The GF looked down. There it was, in all of it's deadly power. A black lightning beam slashed to earth. The smoke cleared and the Liger Zero stood there.  
  
I tremble with rage, seeing Hiltz and Ambient there in the Death Stinger. "Raven. Raven." Astarael's calling me. I wrench my mind away from the scene and turn to face her. "Um, Raven.. " She begins. I wait, listening for those three small words. " Raven, I love you. Don't you dare die." I smile back. " I love you too, Astarael." She leans forward and kisses me before clambering down from the Liger.  
  
Irvine was using his eye thingy to zero in on the Liger. Van tuned to a one- way com-link. He could see and hear everything that was going on inside the cockpit of the Liger, but they couldn't see him. When he heard Raven say those words, he choked. The Dark One had found love? That was insane! More than that, it was impossible! He recorded it and then showed it to the rest, leaving them equally flabbergasted. They turned their heads toward where a battle supreme was beginning.  
  
"Raven." "Hiltz. Are you ready to die?" He laughs. " I think it is you, who will die tonight." I snarl, feeling Liger and Shadow join me. I crouch low, and spring! The Death Stinger spins away, sending it's tail into me. I leap over it and activate the boosters. We race toward the wall, and then we run vertically! I leap from side to side, and then drop, claws outstretched, onto Hiltz. I tear away a piece of armor and spring back. Hiltz scuttles forward and grabs Liger in his claws. {Shadow! Divert all energy into getting free!} (Working on it!) Liger snarls and wrenches free. I prowl warily, waiting for his move. The Death Stinger shoots with it's guns. I dodge most, but a conduit that lets me use the ion boosters severs. I curse silently, and leap onto the DS's head, carving away the armor. He shakes his head, sending me flying. I hear Astarael's voice, saying she loves me. I know I'm evil and I will probably die in this battle, but for Astarael and Shadow, I'm going to try anyway. I flip down the stabilizers and race toward the DS. 50..40..30..20.. I flick up the stabilizers and soar, over the DS, onto it's back. I rip off the main gun, and hear Hiltz curse. I smile inwardly. I race up to a cliff and hide. Raven.. Raven.. Astarael? Raven, remember what I told you. You can predict his next move fairly accurately. I love you, and that should be enough. Do you remember the prophecy? It says I will die to save you, and I will. Go forth and win, get revenge for your real parents, and the life you lost. Fight to the last, Dark One! I listen to her words, but what does she mean, my real parents? I crouch and spread my consciousness, letting it flow into the Liger. The broken conduit sparks, sending volts of electricity down my leg. I can use this to my advantage. I spread it out farther, and listen to Hiltz. Ambient is with him. The GF is on the other side of the canyon, unsure who to root for. My beloved is behind some rocks, encouraging me. I leap down with my claws blazing, ripping through wire and steel and battery, hearing Hiltz's cry of surprise. I back off, seeing a large hole through the DS. He slams the DS's tail into me, sending my head into the console. I taste the blood running down my face, and know that maybe I deserved that. Suddenly, his claw shoots out, snapping the wires that let me move to bits. I cry out in pain, knowing that Liger and Shadow are feeling it too. I try to move, but to no avail. Hiltz's smirking face appears on screen. " I must admit, you had me worried for a bit." His face hardens. "And now it's your time to die!" The charged particle cannon warms up, whirring. Visions of Astarael, Blind Seer, my parents, and Liger and Shadow race through my mind. I silently apologize to each, especially Astarael. I wasn't able to keep my promise. And then I let it all go. and said goodbye.  
  
Oooohhh! I'm a evil writer! I left you hanging! Who will survive? Who will die? How will the battle end? 


	13. The Sacrifice

The Sacrifice  
  
Okay, * blah * = Astarael talking to Raven, and [blah] + Raven talking to Astarael. Got it? On with the story!  
  
The Guardian Force watched in horror from the cliffs, knowing that nothing could save Raven now. A flicker of movement caught the GFs eyes, and they turned their heads. The girl, Astarael, was sprinting for Raven. Running faster than anything they had seen, she was blur of motion. She reached the Liger and climbed up. She closed her eyes and waited.  
  
[Astarael! Please get down from there!] My mind screamed. *No.* She replied. *Do you want to know why I will give my life to save you? * I listened, knowing she was determined to die. I wanted to ease her passing in any way I could. * You're a zoidian. * What!? * Yes. You are a zoidian, one of the Wild. You and me are the last of our kind. Do not worry. I'll come back, beloved. I'll come back. *  
  
She turned her face to me and her eyes glittered dark with unshed tears. She hugged me and then closed her eyes. Determined to make the ultimate sacrifice, to save my life.  
  
Van and the others watched, knowing that Raven had found love, to lose it once again. The girl glowed golden, her form blurring around the edges, and then she flowed like a liquid into the Liger. Her last sound was a howl, long and keening, that somehow spoke of the sacrifice she was making, and the will to die.  
  
The DS glowed bright, and unleashed the CPB. They heard a scream, that brought their worst memories back to torture them and sent them to their knees on the rock. Beams of fire, ice, and earth streamed into the Liger.The smoke cleared and the Liger stood there, a shield of bright glowing gold interposed between the beam and Raven.  
  
The beam canceled out and the Liger stood, powerful and strong. A small form fell from the liger. It was Astarael! She stood shakily, and turned to Raven.  
  
I stood there, paralyzed, as she turned to me. She smiled, and spoke. "I love you, Raven." Suddenly, the DS fired a exploding bullet. It ripped a hole in her body. I screamed for her, knowing for that as long as I lived, I would see her falling, as Blind Seer had fallen. Silently, endlessly, forever.  
  
She slid to the ground, pain in her eyes. No. No. This is a dream. I'll wake up in my room at Zoid's Eve, and she'll be there. But my eyes denied my thoughts. She laid on the ground, crimson spreading in a pool beneath her. Her pain-filled gaze met mine. * I.. love you. *Then she was gone.  
  
I scream, a pain filled sound, that holds all of my sorrow, anger, and uncontrollable rage. I stare at her body. My rage and sorrow spiral upwards, melding into one terrible whole. My vision slowly mists over with crimson. I throw my head back and howl. A red light shines over the liger, and I black out.  
  
Van stared. Never in all his days had he seen this. The Liger was glowing red, with the claws being a black as dark as a ravens wing. The red creeps outward, expanding over the Liger. It glows brighter, and all that you can see is the light. And then it disappears. The Liger is deep crimson now, the crimson of life's blood spilt upon the sand. It has 2 blades. It's claws, eyes, and blades are black, the deep velvety black of space.  
  
I wake up. But I'm not me anymore. I'm hanging by wires, suspended above the Liger's core. I see Shadow curled around it. { Hey, buddy.}I say weakly. {What's going on?} (Your rage consumed you temporarily, and the Liger has changed. It is no longer Liger. Now it is Hellfire, a zoid created only by a selfless sacrifice, and someone mourning deeply.)  
  
I process this and close my eyes. My rage and sorrow flow out of me, and into the Hellfire. I think about Astarael, sleeping the eternal sleep of death, and Hellfire roars. (It is time!)  
  
The Hellfire disappears, going 5 times faster than Shadowrage. Two compartments on the back open up, and black wings unfurl with a snap. Hellfire leaps in the air, soaring across the twin moons, a shadow of swift and terrible vengeance. He spirals higher and higher, and opens the blades.  
  
I spiral higher, and extend the blades. {Hellfire, we are going to avenge the only person who ever cared about me. Are you ready?} (The time for mourning is over. The time for vengeance is now!) We sweep the wings back, extend the blades, tuck the legs in, and plummet. The claws and blades glow black. We plummet toward earth, and prepare to kill the Murderer.  
  
We streak downward, and hit. The crunch of metal is heard, and the claws and blades rip through the DS, through wire and metal and glass. And finally, through Ambient. He roars in pain, and I leap away and circle. The DS explodes in a haze of fire, metal, and blood.  
  
Van stared in awe at the carnage before him, seeing the DS explode. Now he remembered Fiona saying that there had been rumors of a Wild that survived. A boy. But that no one had known if they were fact or fiction. He knew. They were true. Raven was the survivor. And now, the last Wild left. He stared at the body of Astarael, knowing that she had given Raven a chance to show his true nature. And now, she was dead.  
  
I landed, exhausted. {Shadow? Can you shut down the Hellfire?} (Yes.) The Hellfire whirred and powered down. I fell out, hit the ground, and rolled. I stared at her body, and crawled over to it.  
  
God, why did you have to die? I held her close, and mourned. I didn't want to cry, but my tears wouldn't obey. They slid down my face, leaving wet trails. Nothing could help me. I had found love, only to lose it. I threw my head back and howled to the moons, all of my sadness contained in it. Shadowrage is going to be blinded by grief. It's all my fault!  
  
Raven. Shadowrage? Raven, it is not your fault. Nothing could have stopped her. But, I'm not Shadowrage. I'm a new kind of zoid. The Berserk Fury. I am the evolved form of her old genosaurer. When she died, a part of me died with her. Wait for me, Raven. I'm coming.  
  
A rhythmic clanking split the silence. I looked up. A new zoid. A tyrannosaur type, with no armor yet. Is that.. her? I nodded. Wait. She's not totally dead yet. She could come back. It depends on fate. I grabbed at this thin straw of hope. Shadow and Liger walked over. (We're sorry, Raven.) "It's not your fault." I climbed into Liger, putting her body on Fury. Time to go. And we turned our faces home.  
  
Wahh! Astarael died! And I created her! Oh well. Do you want her to come back? If so, post in your review. And Fire Fox, thank you so, so, much for taking the time to read my story! And everyone else, too! 


	14. The Mourning

The Mourning  
  
A big muchas gracias to all who reviewed!  
  
Fury plodded slowly into the hangar, mourning in his own fashion. I slid out and walked over and picked up her limp body, thinking back on how a scant day ago I had been so happy. Shadow walked over and nudged her, causing her to flop. We walked out to the hall, and glided down it.  
  
A loud cry could be heard, and we looked up. Shadowrage was barreling down the hall, blinded by his mad rush. He skidded to a stop, just missing us. He dropped his head down, and stared with those golden eyes. He sat down hard, and lifted his head. *Thank. you.. Raven.. for bringing her back. * He glanced downward, and I could see the deep sorrow in his eyes. "I'm sorry, Shadowrage." * It wasn't your fault, it was Hiltz. Or more properly, the Dark Kaiser, who commanded Hiltz.* He turned and drifted off, with his head and tail drooping.  
  
I went in her room and laid her out on the bed. Already she was stiffening. You hear about people looking like they're sleeping when they're dead, but she didn't. She just looked. dead. Like a candle with the flame gone. I left and sat out in the hangar, staring at Liger. Looking, but not seeing.  
  
The GF moved numbly, striding across the desert, each in their own thoughts. Van was thinking i I can't believe it. She died for Raven, making the ultimate sacrifice. And Hiltz took from her what nothing has the right to take, life. Could I have done that? /i Irvine: iThat was a awesome battle, but what was that red zoid with wings? /i Fiona: i Maybe she wasn't as bad as I thought, but she did destroy us./i Zeke: i Grawwl grr gargly roarf arfa./i Dr. D: *Is having a migraine from his idiocy.*  
  
I wake up. A low, sad noise drifts through the halls. I follow the sound, and go out onto the sands. Shadow, Liger, Shadowrage, and the Berserk Fury sit together in a group, looking at the dark sky. They're singing a song toward the stars, a mourning song. I walk forward and sit down, leaning against Liger's leg. Shadow comes over and lays his head on my lap. I stroke his smooth head and watch.  
  
Shadowrage breaks off the song and turns toward me. *Raven. You've joined us?* I reply, "Yeah, but what are you doing?" *We're singing for Astarael, to speed her on her journey. Each zoid and organoid adds a verse, and when we're done, she will have reached her peace with Zi. This has been done for all the keepers of Zoid's Eve since the beginning of time.* I lean back, close my eyes, and listen.  
  
Song of the Wolf  
  
Bloodlines traced upon the ground,  
  
Ere' pawprints break our beaten paths,  
  
Where numbers thin, yet wills run strong,  
  
By night we win man's brutal wrath,  
  
Man thriving pon' our sad bloodbaths,  
  
Lost native will, the land once hath... Bring pity back into our dark,  
  
Shed light upon your brutal casts,  
  
And try to find that brutal spark,  
  
That brought your many kin afore,  
  
To take our kind, if nothing more,  
  
To man the arc of history,  
  
To shed our deathwinds pon' it's masts...  
  
Look blindly pon' these brutal casts... Your fire bringing to the air,  
  
Your presence of the land affirmed,  
  
Our howls, weak, reeking despair,  
  
Our callings dead upon your lead,  
  
Your bitter, unforgiving germ...  
  
Pon' chain and rope and whip we've squirmed... For many lives of newborn pup,  
  
With lasting breath, their heads raise up,  
  
Their spirits weep their callings lost,  
  
Their parents' blood upon the grass,  
  
The hunger grows, time comes to pass,  
  
They lay their pain against the dark,  
  
Though moon and stars won't find their bark,  
  
Until man's will comes to their crest,  
  
They finally put their souls to rest... To coexist the native will,  
  
Adapt and be one with the trees,  
  
To follow scent and run the breeze,  
  
To love the pack, to share it's will,  
  
To care for kin, to bring down kill,  
  
To bring up pups, improve our skill,  
  
To nurture growth, have mouths to fill,  
  
To play and fight and just despite,  
  
What we succumb unto your might,  
  
Our shortened, bitter, hellish life,  
  
Their anger thins us like a knife,  
  
Until they grieve their unjust strife,  
  
Our loss in history not hushed... Finding the plains of prey forgone,  
  
We search the instincts of our kind,  
  
But strange new prey for soul to spawn,  
  
Has ruined our fragile way of mind,  
  
Man's blame to be our final find...  
  
To hide and pounce ere' sib or prey,  
  
To hunt, to bay ere' break of day,  
  
To trust our kin, feel warmth of May,  
  
Catch leaves of fall, make beds of snow,  
  
Have summer winds to shed our coats,  
  
To lap from streams' eternal flow,  
  
Feel winter winds' eternal blow...  
  
To birth new life, give it a home,  
  
Fell mother's tongue as nature's comb,  
  
To howl and bay, ere' break of day,  
  
Unto the night's eternal dome... Of old we roamed about the land,  
  
To search the breeze upon the trees,  
  
To search the lake's familiar sand,  
  
To coexist the native will,  
  
Until one day into our life,  
  
The white man came to hate and kill,  
  
To thin our numbers like a knife... We exist still, upon' the night,  
  
Though still does hate, our unjust plight,  
  
Still thrives the will, though, just despite,  
  
Upon our blood, the wolves of yore',  
  
Their longings shared forevermore,  
  
To live the life, upon man's knife,  
  
Not for revenge or settled score,  
  
To be the wolf, forevermore...  
  
With essence bright, where our souls burn,  
  
Upon the night, we only yearn...  
  
To be the wolf, forevermore... This is goodbye. 


	15. The BattlePart 2

The Battle-Part 2  
  
Van and the GF were on the ridge above, staring at the gathering of zoids. They were shocked at the song they sung, shocked that the zoids could make this. But most of all, they simply couldn't accept the fact that The Wolf was dead. They knew that she was dead on one level, but it hadn't really been confirmed in their minds until they saw the impromptu remembrance of her. A shadow disconnected itself from the Liger's leg. It was Raven! He disappeared into a small door in the ground and came out carrying something in his arms.  
  
I trudged into the center of the group, with The Dark Warrior in my arms. Shadowrage stood up and started digging. Faster and faster he dug, the dirt flying in an arc above our heads. Finally, he sat back. * It is done.* I laid her into the tomb, wrapped in a shroud. Shadow and I started filling it up, each shovelful of dirt another "never". Never, never never again would there be someone as powerful as her. Finally we finished the grave and smoothed the dirt.  
  
The Berserk Fury and Shadowrage threw their heads back and roared to the heavens, mourning the passing of Astarael with every particle of their minds and bodies. Liger, Shadow, and I stayed silent, knowing that if anyone had earned the right to speak for her, it was these two. A small bolt of golden lightning hovered above the tomb, then arced toward the twin moons and was gone. We turned and silently walked back into the Eve.  
  
I laid on the couch in the living room, staring toward the T.V. I was idly flipping channels until something made me stop. The announcer was saying "The GF has been watching a strange funeral and has kindly relayed it back to us." Images of the zoids and me burying Astarael showed on the screen. I called Liger and the others in. They stared at the announcer and started to shake in anger. * How dare they* Shadowrage whispered, *intrude upon us.* A quiet voice was a definite danger sign. He turned and glided fluidly out, with the Fury following. I leaped onto Shadow and we streaked down the hall, Liger following.  
  
Fury and Shadowrage were waiting in the armor room. *You are coming?* I nodded. "Affirmative." *Very well. * Shadowrage walked into the conversion chamber. *Activating Episilon armor.* He walked out on the other side. Then Fury went in. * Activating Hellion armor.* Then he too, left. "Liger, do you have armor?" *Yes. One. The Pheonix.* He strode in, me in the cockpit. The white armor lifted away, leaving him exposed. Crimson armor with two golden blades snapped on, along with five boosters. Shadow opened his wings and merged.  
  
Shadowrage's Epsilon armor was silver and trimmed with white. The speed had been sacrificed for protection and weapons. The Hellion was orange, with a ridge of spines down the back and retractable claws, plus a flight pack. *I get the lightning siax, and Fury gets the Dibision. You, on the other hand, get your revenge on Van, and then we'll leave to destroy Prozen.* I nodded before fusing my mind with Liger.  
  
" Umm." Van, pulled out of his reverie, turned to Fiona. "This doesn't seem right, to be spying on a funeral." Fiona quietly said. "And Raven's coming." A very loud and obscene phrase split the silence. "*&^$$#@#$%^&&*()&!!" The GF turned in shock. "Van Flyheight, where in Zi did you learn something as utterly DIRTY as that!" He smiled sheepishly. "Uh. internet?" Fiona shrieked, pointing at the Liger and two other zoids that had appeared out of nowhere.  
  
A deadly voice emanated over the quiet desert dawn. It was Raven! "When, Flyheight, will you learn to keep your ugly nose out of other peoples business, you weak onna, baka, idiot, slimy, dithering, dumb, brainless,(a/n-And so on, and so on) FREAK!" The GF gasped at this insult to their leader, and prepared for battle.  
  
Ahh.. the joys of a good insult. Shadowrage's cold clipped voice echoed across the field. *The rules of the combat are this. I, Shadowrage Epsilon, will fight against the Siax, Fury will fight the Dibison, and Raven, who is now the most powerful on Zi, will fight against Van. If we win, we decide your fate. If, by some miracle you win, you will leave unscathed. " The Siax walked out for the first round.  
  
"Who is your pilot?" Irvine asked. *Fool, I have no need of a pilot. Astarael was my friend and protector, who helped me in battle. She was not some person like you, who needs complete control to win! And now, you shall be defeated, once and for all. I will tear your zoid's parts into pieces, grind them into dust, and that dust shall be scattered on the wind!*(a/n- Ouchie.) "Uhh.. why do you hate me so much?" *New Helic City. 2034. You shot and severely wounded a organoid because you were paid. And do you know who that organoid was? THAT ORGANOID WAS ME!* "Oh man." Irvine thought.  
  
Shadowrage leaped forward, with all 8 mortar cannons blazing. The Siax dodged, but to no avail. The mortars slammed into the siax, sending it flying. Irvine slowly maneuvered the Siax to it's feet and counter- attacked. 2 beams shot forward, hitting Shadowrage in a cloud of smoke. The wind whipped wildly, the smoke cleared away, but he was gone. Irvine sat back smugly. "Hah, I'm the best." Suddenly, the radar blipped. "Irvine, look out!" Van yelled. He looked around. "Nothing's there, Van." "ABOVE YOU!" He glanced up.  
  
Epsilon was in the air, hovering on his boosters that had rotated downward. The boosters withdrew and he fell. The Siax roared once before his body was crushed. Epsilon turned, and lifted his claws. He slammed them down on the siaxs neck, slowly grinding through. The head separated. Epsilon looked at it and batted it away before aiming all 15 of his guns at the remnants. A cloud of black rose up and dissipated. The Siax was gone, only a pile of blackened powder was left. A gust blew and scattered the pieces. Shadowrage roared once, and stalked back to his position. Irvine ran back to the GF.  
  
The Dibison clanked forward, and stood at the ready. The Hellion leaped into the air and flitted around, dodging the shots from the bison. Thomas locked on and fired a burn-out. Hellion soared upwards and retaliated. The spines loosened and he fired them out. Pieces of electromagnetic shrapnel rained down on the zoid. The dibison fell over, completely at Hellions mercy. Hellion soared upwards and flicked out his claws. The claws vibrated, shining firey orange. Hellion closed the flight pack and dropped. *Strike Flaming Claw!* The dibisons body melted, no time to cry out. Thomas shrieked and sprinted back to the Guardian Force. The Hellion Fury landed at the spot where it had lifted off.  
  
Van shook in fear. The two zoids were infinitely more powerful than he, and by all accounts, Raven was better. He swallowed and walked forward. 


	16. The Flames

The Revenge  
  
Van swallowed and walked forward to face the Phoenix Liger. Fiona was behind him, gripping the seat. "Fiona, can you tell me what he's feeling?"  
  
She replied, "He's changed. He doesn't hate you, so much as he envies you." He laughed incredulously. "Envies me? Yeah right." "It's true." She insisted. "He envies you for having a family, for having a childhood, for growing up without training to be a sadistic killing machine, in short, for being a okay person. He has emotions, but suppressed them. When you're an elite soldier, raised to carry out your mission, to concentrate completely on it, emotion makes you weak. You're not allowed to have it, and all that terror, fear, hate, love, and envy stays locked up inside you. The only thing you have is rage, uncontrollable rage, against the enemy. And even then, you are not allowed to think of the enemy as human beings, but just as a whole, that you must destroy at all costs."  
  
Van stayed silent, wondering how she had managed to put such a complex person into such simple terms. "And now, he's lost the only person that ever cared about him. Right now, his whole being is focused on payback, because of you watching a private ceremony. Mere mortals shouldn't know about zoids understanding, much less the 3 chosen zoids being sentient and alive. The chosen are the Berserk Fury, the Liger Zero, and the Death Wolf, or Shadowrage. Some say that when the Dark One and the Wolf have completely merged their minds with the chosen, that a new era would come. But now that Astarael's dead, that will never happen."  
  
Van nodded and turned his face to the battlefield. "Zeke!" Zeke opened the boosters and slashed downward. "Are you ready, Van?" Raven asked. Van shivered at his strange look. His eyes were blank, looking through him, Fiona, and everything, staring at a world a million miles away.  
  
I stared at the Blade Liger, looking, but not seeing. Slowly, I sunk my conscience into Liger and Shadow. I waited, running through Van's options and settling on one. 1,2,3.. There! I dodged left, mirroring his movements. Van opened the booster pack and glided to the right. *Liger?Shadow? Take over. * Yessir. Liger warmed the boosters, looking toward the fleeing form of the Blade Liger.  
  
We shot forward, the roar of the ion particles echoing in our ears. We overtook him easily, killing the power in one and sliding to a stop in front of Van. " No running, coward." He looked frantically around for an exit. Seeing none, he took the chance and fired some missiles. They hit my left front leg, damaging it. I gritted my teeth and ignored the pain, and counter attacked. The boosters hummed, growing louder and louder, until they reached a fevered howl like millions of damned souls. We ran off, and turned. " Running away, Raven?" came that baka's voice. "Hardly." He gulped, his eyes growing wide.  
  
We turned and stopped, with our claws dug into the ground. The roar of the boosters thundered through my ears, reverberated in my chest, drowned out everything except one thought. *I must defeat Van.* The Phoenix Liger stood, dug into the earth. Van stared, a growing dread filling him. He didn't know what was going to happen, but he knew it would be horrible. Suddenly, the claws retracted. The Phoenix blew forward like a hurricane, streaking forward in a crimson blur. The heat of friction glowed, and suddenly, orange flames exploded from the liger. Something primal, instinctive, told Van about the awful power of the flames. The fire hadn't just come from friction, he knew. Raven had called the flames, and they had answered. 


	17. The Truth

The Truth  
  
I streaked forward, across the desert sunrise, the fire merged perfectly, making me blend into the sunrise. The flames surrounded me, gave me a shield of fire. I roared, preparing for the fatal strike. The Blade Liger crouched, low to the desert. Shadow dug into his memory, finding the Blade Liger's moves. Liger moved effortlessly, and used his understanding. Add my rage and sadness, and together we became unbeatable.  
  
Van crouched in fear, seeing the Phoenix streak toward them, flames surrounding its body, a vision of perverse perfection. The Liger roared it's loudest, and flames seared through the Blade Liger. Zeke roared in pain, as the Blade Liger's legs fell off.  
  
I slid to a stop, and the flames disappeared. I panted, the last of my energy given to defeat Van. We turned, and lifted our heads to the rising sun, the reds and oranges mirroring my mood.  
  
I climbed out of the cockpit and walked out to the burnt Blade Liger. Fiona and Van were sitting there, mouths agape. They stared, in something akin to fear.  
  
Van sat there, terrified. Raven had destroyed the blade liger. Suddenly, the cockpit wrenched open and light poured in. Raven stood there, his cold gaze fixed on them. His black shroud was on him again. He had taken no damage at all from the heat. "Come." Van crawled numbly out, Fiona behind him.  
  
Suddenly, he remembered Zeke. "Zeke!" He ran over to the blade ligers wreck, but he wasn't there. A shadow fell over him. Raven. "He is fine. Look on the other side. The Blade Liger is also fine. I did not destroy the core." Van ran and saw the silver glinting in the sun. "Zeke!" He grabbed him and rubbed his head.  
  
"Raven, thank you." Raven gazed at him, with anger in his amethyst eyes. "Van Flyheight, do not thank me for anything. Thank whatever god is listening that you do not have to go what I went through." Van looked up and saw the cold fury in his eyes.  
  
"You never lost both your parents in one night; you never saw your beloved die in front of you. You've never peered across the line between life and death." He shut his eyes and then opened them. " Listen, Van Flyheight, you can cry your eyes out to whatever god you think is listening, you can scream for an end until your throat ruptures and rebels. You are nothing more than a leaf, tossed in the tempest. And if it releases you, it was not because it cared."  
  
Van stayed silent, shocked at this extraordinary pronouncement. "Now, I will take flight on these accursed wings, only in hope in being lost. Goodbye, Van." 


	18. The Wanderer

The Wanderer  
  
A small group of zoids loped across the desert. A dinosaur type, a black wolf, and a white liger compromised the gathering. Inside the Liger's cockpit, a teenage boy rested, with his head pillowed on a black organoid.  
  
I rest, listening to Fury, Liger, Shadowrage, and Shadows conversation. In a lull, I doze, remembering. After I defeated Van, we went back to the Eve. Once there, we had a long conversation about what to do next.  
  
Prozen had died, and I had my revenge. No one wanted to stay at the eve, the site of Astarael's grave. No one would mourn for her, no one would remember her for what she truly was, except us five.  
  
So, we wander. We don't know where we're heading, we just move. Liger, Shadow, and I have a strong friendship, a bond without words. Shadowrage also likes me, because I was the only person his master had loved. Fury, he hangs around. He still doesn't have any armor, as we left the Hellion there.  
  
The only thing that brightens my life besides the others is an old zoidian song that reminds me of Astarael. I often find myself humming the song while I lie on Ligers back, looking at the stars.  
  
Go to the east, Go to the west, The way is hard and the road rough, When another angel falls.  
  
The eagle soars, The wolf runs, The only way, Has just begun, When another angel falls.  
  
The stars die, Zi will cry, Will you resist? As the wolf clan calls?  
  
The eagle soars, The wolf runs, The only way, Has just begun, When another angel falls.  
  
Van and his friends have been keeping tabs on me, as I get buzzed by Redlers every two weeks. I've seriously considered shooting them down, but I rejected the idea. They'd just come after me and I'd have to destroy them. :Raven?: It's Shadow. {Yeah?} : We've found a place to stop for the night.: {You have? Good.} I stand up and leap out.  
  
Van brooded, looking at the pictures the Redlers sent back. "Van?" He looked up. "Yeah?" Fiona perched on the edge of the desk.  
  
"What's wrong? You've been too quiet lately." He stretched and sighed. "I can't get what Raven said to me out of my head. Maybe we judged him too harshly. He hasn't done anything lately, just keeps on moving west." She looked at him with worry in her ruby eyes. "Don't worry. We'll think of something." He stood up and exited with Fiona.  
  
:Raven?: I roll over and look into his cobalt eyes. "Yes?" :I want to battle. I'm bored. It's been three months since Astarael died.: I groan and study his face. "I'll talk to Rage about it." Shadowrage is sort of our leader.  
  
[ Raven?] "Yeah, Liger?" [We're being followed.] I sit up and scan the darkness. Shadowrage sniffs the air. Liger zeroes in. Shadowrage tells me about the people. * A heldigunner, a desert command wolf, and a dark horn.*  
  
I consider the pros and cons of attacking them and decide. "Shadow, take me to the ridge." I think about how I want to attack. I remember something Astarael told me. "I have a curse of bloodwrath, but you on the other hand, have something else. Something feral, barely human, inside of you. If you can harness its power, nothing will stand up to you."  
  
I stand on the ridge with Fury, Liger, Shadowrage, and Shadow behind me, and focus on the stars coming over the horizon as the sun touches the rim. A bright blue one shines, eclipsing others in its brightness. That star is the Wolf Star. I throw my head back and stare at it, remembering. Remembering a girl who died for me, remembering the perfect warrior.  
  
Something stirs inside me, a tentative nudge. I ignore it and focus. A wind picks up and swirls around me. I spread my arms. My shadow falls over the land, a darkening cross. "As the sun sets so will the lives of all of who dare to face my wrath." I spread my awareness over the land, and go deep inside myself.  
  
A fire burns, my very essence. Shadow waits by me, anticipating the rise of a power never seen.  
  
Suddenly, something erupts! A single-minded entity, intent on one thing. A thirsting to hear the enemies dying scream. I am the thing, will be the entity, and it exist only to feed iiself. I fall to my knees, trying to wrest control back.  
  
The swirling of wind picks up, becomes a maelstrom of death. It rushes toward the other zoids. Dust picks up and gives it a shape, the shape of a dragon. It hits the zoids, and roars in anger.  
  
I collapse, and I see that the other zoids are hollowed out. The computers and wires are gone, only the outer shape remains. My eyes close, and I know nothing more. 


	19. The Dragon

The Dragon  
  
Firestorm: Thank you for the compliments, fire fox! Um, I haven't seen very many episodes, so, who's the villain? *Counts off* Reese: Destroyed by Astarael. Hiltz: Destroyed by Raven. Prozen: Died. Oh well. Onto the story!  
  
:blah: = Shadow, {blah} = Liger, * blah* = Shadowrage, blah = Fury.  
  
An orderly ran into the room where the GF were eating dinner. "Lieutenant Flyheight! A1 Squad has just been wiped out!" Van leapt up and ran out to view the footage. The rest of them followed.  
  
"I don't understand, Raven hasn't attacked anyone for a while. Besides, A1 squad is the best, and Raven supposedly wiped them out in 5 seconds!" He brought up the tape and everyone gathered around.  
  
Raven stood on a ridge, with the 3 zoids standing behind him and Shadow by his side. A1 raced toward him. Raven threw his head back and stared at the sky, he was like that for a minute, and then slowly he spread his arms. His silhouette was that of a cross, dark against the desert.  
  
His hair danced wildly upon a breeze, but everything else was still. They could have been stone, except for A1 following. Suddenly, a loud primal roar erupted, and Raven fell to his knees.  
  
The wind swirled wildly, and raced toward A1. The sand picked up and whirled along with it, and gave it the shape of a feral dragon. The dragon hit A1, and disappeared, with a last roar lingering on the breeze. Van and the GF were silent, wondering what that was.  
  
They waited until the dust settled, and then gasped in horror. The zoid's were still there, but the pilots were gone, the computers, everything. Only the outer shell remained.  
  
They looked at Raven. He was struggling to stand, laboriously trying to breathe. Raven's hand clenched, trying to pull himself up. He gasped once, and slid to the ground, his amethyst eyes closed.  
  
"Fiona? What the hell was that?" Fiona stared at the ground. "There was an old Wild zoidian legend. All of the Wild have a guardian, a special animal that will destroy anything. You can tell that Raven's is a dragon, and Astarael's was a wolf. But no one had managed to tap into its power, until now. Even so, that wasn't a fifth of its full power."  
  
Van sat down hard. "Did anyone survive?" Fiona looked up.  
  
"No. Nothing can survive that, except another Wild. That dragon wasn't just wind and dust. The dragon is made up of the very essence of misery, anguish, pain, and death. It consumes the summoner, and the summoner becomes the guardian while it's there. The guardian exists only to feed itself, but nothing will ever satisfy it. Hunger for blood defines its world."  
  
They looked at Raven's still form. " So, you see. Raven can control it, but it is not tame, and never will be." Van sighed. "Let's go get him. Power like that is too dangerous to have roaming around."  
  
Raven! I drift in a sea of blackness, with no light. I'm alone. Totally and utterly alone.  
  
When the dragon's eye opens, many shall close,  
  
The darkest of days brings the deepest of woes,  
  
Together with terror that swells into pain,  
  
Disaster shall herald his coming again...  
  
Something flares on the horizon. A line of white fire slices through the darkness. *Raven!*  
  
Worlds sigh,  
  
People change,  
  
Love dies,  
  
You will always be alone..  
  
What's going on? I have to get back. To Shadow, Liger, Fury, and Shadowrage.  
  
Crawling in my skin,  
  
These wounds, they will not heal,  
  
Fearing how I fall,  
  
  
  
Confusing what is real. 


	20. The Capture

The Capture  
  
Van's Stealth Viper slithered underneath the sand. He checked his position and slowly started a whirlpool. Raven's limp body fell into the cockpit. The Liger Zero roared in anger and slashed at the Viper. He carved off the head armor, but Van was already racing back to base.  
  
"Van's back!" The GF ran outside, with Dr. D following. The Viper surfaced and Van climbed out. "I've got him." They put Raven on a gurney and rolled him to the infirmary. "Dr. D, what should we do with Raven?" The Doc looked down.  
  
"I'm not really sure. For now, I suppose we'd better put him under and keep him unconscious. If we let him wake up, he'll just call the dragon and destroy us." They looked at Raven's still form. At the moment, he didn't seem capable of even moving. They strung an IV with sedatives and hooked him up to a heart rate monitor. Dr. D sat down in a chair outside the room to wait.  
  
{The Guardian Force has taken Raven!} Liger bounded into camp with his eyes blazing fire. Shadowrage was on his feet. * Where to?* Shadow answered. :Our bond with Raven helps, but until he experiences something other than a blank, we don't know. And the Guardian Force could be anywhere.:The Fury, in a rare show of emotion, roared. We have to find him! The others nodded. They settled down, to wait for a signal.  
  
The fire on the horizon flares once, beckoning me. Something moves, an inky black form against the surrounding darkness. A dragon!  
  
The dragon settles down and cocks his head. It's the same one that I summoned. He spreads his wings and yawns, displaying massive ten-inch fangs.  
  
You are here? "Yes." I am your guardian, sworn to protect you at all costs. Even at the risk of my life. "My guardian?" Yes. Each of the Wild has one. Obviously, I am yours. " What is your name?"  
  
Apollyon. It means, The Destroyer. I have 1 minute left to tell you, before the agony comes. You are at the Guardian Force base. After you collapsed, Van found you and took you. Liger and Shadow wait for you. You are in the infirmary at the base. They have given you sedatives. The Agony happens after you summon your guardian. It will happen every time until Astarael is resurrected. I must go. Apollyon leaps into the air, and soars away with powerful wing beats.  
  
Sudden pain flows through me. Total agony courses through my veins. It hurts even more than Prozen's torture, but nothing will ever compare to the pain of losing Astarael. I scream, the agony a dagger of fire slashing through my bones.  
  
"Uargghh!" Dr. D snapped out of sleep. He ran into the room where Raven lay, hooked to machines. The others followed into at a sprint. Dr. D glanced at the monitor. "His heart rate's skyrocketing! If it goes any higher, he'll die!" Raven suddenly started shaking, an electro-shock snapping of the spine, followed by convulsions. His back was arched in pain, bent like a straining bow. He was in horrific agony, and they couldn't do a thing.  
  
Suddenly, Raven stopped shaking, stopped screaming. His heart rate slowed, and went back to normal. Van glanced at the others. "What was that all about?" They shook their heads, wondering if they could survive such agony as Raven seemingly had just gone through.  
  
Liger was curled on the sand, for all the world like an overgrown housecat. Shadow stood on his paw, only their tails twitching as a sign of life. Suddenly, they stood up and stared toward the north. :He's at the Gojulas base.: They ran full tilt toward the destination.  
  
The pain ebbs and fades away. I pant in relief of being free of the agony. :Raven!: Shadow? :Raven, we're coming to get you. Are you okay?: I think for a second. [Aside from horrible agony, yes. I'm sedated and unconscious. You'll have to somehow get me away and wake me up.] :Sedated? By the twin moons, I'll make Van pay!:  
  
*Listen, I'll stay back on this ridge and snipe to draw their attention to me. Shadow, Liger, you go down and rescue Raven. Fury will back me up.* Shadowrage was outlining the plan to rescue Raven. The others nodded. * Let's begin.*  
  
An explosion rocked the base. Van looked wildly about. "We're being attacked!" Irvine, although he was sprawled on the floor, hadn't lost his sarcasm. "Oh really? When did you notice that?" Van raced out at full speed.  
  
Shadow and Liger slinked through the halls, searching for Raven. :He's in there.: They turned a corner and stopped. Raven was spread eagled on the gurney, his breath shallow. {They are so dead. Get him out of there.} Liger turned and bounded down the hall.  
  
Irvine fired in a borrowed command wolf, knowing that even so, he was dead. A black blur sped by him, on the way to the Death Wolf. He turned in time to see Raven's limp body cradled in the black organoid's arms. Suddenly, he was down. The Liger Zero had ripped the zoids body to pieces.  
  
The Liger rejoined his companions. They roared once before turning and vanishing over the ridge. He looked around. The base was utterly destroyed. He let out his breath, thankful they hadn't killed him.  
  
*How long until he wakes up? * :It'll be soon.: Shadowrage led the way, leading them somewhere. The others followed, but Liger and Shadow's attention was on their unconscious master.  
  
I open my eyes a slit. Black metal fills my vision. "Shadow?" My voice comes out as a strangled croak.  
  
:You're awake! Raven's awake!: Shadow pulls me upright, propping me against Liger's leg. Shadowrage and Fury lie down, so they can keep an eye on me. Liger looks down.  
  
{I'm glad you're back.} "Me too. But, where are we going?" *We are going to a Wild temple. We may be able to resurrect Astarael. * I smile before falling back asleep. 


	21. The Memories

The Memories  
  
A small promontory rises up out of the flat landscape before me. Shadowrage leaps forward and races toward it.*We're here!* I slide down and walk toward it. It seems immeasurably old; the sands of time have worn away at it. "Liger, Shadow, we're going in."  
  
I step into the old room with Shadow behind me. I'm still a bit weak, so I rest my hand on his back as we wander about. Dust motes swirl as we step into what must have been the main hall. A large table stands in the middle.  
  
We walk over to it. A large inscription of runes chase around it in a circular design. "Shadow? Do you understand this?" He tilts his head and looks at it. : It's ancient zoidian writing. This rune right here" He indicated a rune of a dark bird with one claw: means "Raven." I think it's coincidence.:  
  
I look closer. Two runes are repeated over and over. A dragon and a wolf, over and over. :And this one means "Death." I don't know the rest, though. : I ponder. "You reckon Shadowrage would understand it?" He growled and nodded. :It's probable.:  
  
Shadowrage stuck his head in and cautiously padded over. "Do you understand this?" He stared. *Yes. I need to translate it, though.* He kept on staring. *I have it. * "Will you tell it to us?"  
  
When the dragon's eye opens, many shall close,  
  
The darkest of days brings the deepest of woes,  
  
Together with terror that swells into pain,  
  
Disaster shall herald his coming again...  
  
Worlds sigh,  
  
People change,  
  
Love dies,  
  
You will always be alone..  
  
Crawling in my skin,  
  
These wounds, they will not heal,  
  
Fearing how I fall,  
  
  
  
Confusing what is real.  
  
  
  
If the wolf is what you seek,  
  
Head to the utter east,  
  
In this temple of forgotten dreams....  
  
I listen spellbound to Shadowrage's smooth recitation. "If the wolf is what you seek, head to the utter east." Simultaneously we all swung about and stared at the eastern wall. It was made of some sort of black stone, as dark as a piece of the night sky.  
  
We all walk forward and examine the wall. It gives the impression of being opaque, but shadows shift over the stone. I reach out and touch it tentatively. Loud roaring fills my ears, and I pitch forward into the darkness.  
  
~Who are you, to invade Alaryan's Sanctum? ~ Loud voices thunder and fill my head. 'Why does everything weird happen to me?' ~Who are you? ~ I clear my throat and speak. "I'm Raven."  
  
~Oh, so you're The Dragon? Why are you here? ~ "Uh, to find The Wolf." The voices seem to whisper to each other for a second, and then turn and pass judgment. ~You are in the temple of Forgotten Dreams. Do you remember that fateful day when the world stopped turning, and the Wild died? ~ I shake my head. "No." My voice echoes in the darkness. ~Listen, Dragon. You will see your forgotten dream. If you survive, you may pass.~  
  
Shadow paced angrily, trying to figure out the strange wall. Raven had touched it, a kind of whirlpool opened up, and he was gone.  
  
* Listen. This is the temple of forgotten dreams. Only the worthy may pass. Raven will be tested. If he passes, he will revive Astarael.* Shadow looked at him, then resumed pacing.  
  
A boy leans against a tree, waiting. He seems 8 years old, but his eyes show ages of experience. A cloud of dust rises in the distance. He looks up and yells.  
  
  
  
  
  
"Astarael! Over here!" The genosaurer turns and slides to a stop in front of him. The cockpit opens and the boy's best friend jumps out. "Hi, Raven." One eye is black, tribute to the organoid merged with her. He smiles. "Where's Sam?" She shakes her head. "Sick, again."  
  
  
  
  
  
"I found some new ruins. D'ya want to check 'em out?" Raven nods. "Sure." He climbs up and sits behind her. The Genosaurer's boosters open and they soar into the sky.  
  
  
  
They set down and wander through the ruins, occasionally exclaiming over something cool. Raven walks over and suddenly falls through the floor with a shout. Astarael rushes over and peers down.  
  
  
  
  
  
"You okay?" Raven looks up. "Yeah. Come down here." She shrugs and climbs down.  
  
They turn and gape in awe.  
  
  
  
  
  
"Whoa." A huge red and black zoid rears over them. "What is it?" Suddenly, Astarael falls to her knees, clutching her head. Raven is instantly beside her."What's wrong?" She shakes her head.  
  
  
  
  
  
"This zoid.. it's evil! Pure evil. It will kill and kill and kill until there's nothing left to kill. Blind Seer is screaming. Can't you feel it? The. wrongness?" Raven looks up. Horrifying glimpses rush through his head.  
  
  
  
  
  
Him, fighting a blue zoid. Him, with a black dinosaur by his side. This zoid, the red one, firing a weapon so powerful, it wipes out an entire army of shield ligers. Astarael, limping away from the tattered remains of the genosaurer.  
  
  
  
  
  
The images slow and stop but not before showing him piloting a genosaurer, and mercilessly killing. They slowly get up and back away. A loud roar shatters the silence.  
  
  
  
  
  
/I have waited many years for this moment. And now, you have given me the power to destroy!/ The red zoid mobilizes and stomps forward. Raven grabs Astarael and they quickly sprint to the genosaurer.  
  
They fired as hard as they can, Astarael using every particle of knowledge Blind Seer had taught her. The Deathsaurer knocks them to the side and they slam their heads and black out.  
  
Raven awakes. "Astarael!" He shakes her shoulder. She snaps awake. "That zoid!" They opened all the boosters and roared toward the ominous cloud of smoke.  
  
Astarael leaps out and starts running toward the wreckage. A hand sticks through the beams. "Sam!" She drags him out. His skin is practically rubbing off where she touches him. "Sam." He opens his eyes.  
  
"Sis.. A red zoid. it attacked. then a girl. with a blue organoid. came. she fired. killed me. father. everyone.I'm sorry." His blue eyes closed for the last time, a smile on his face, and he died. Astarael held him, rocking his body. She was eight, and had lost her family.  
  
Raven sat down by her and wrapped an arm around her. She turned and buried her face in his chest, crying softly. "Astarael?" She stopped shaking with shock.  
  
"We need to avenge your brother." She looks up. Her eyes blaze cold fury, fury against everyone that had contributed to her brothers death. "Yes." They climb into the Genosaurer and take off. 


	22. The Return

The Resurrection  
  
I tumble forward and fall onto the hard stone floors. I sit up and lean back. Astarael was my best friend, and we had awoken the Deathsaurer. I bury my head in my knees.  
  
I'm sorry, Van. I'm sorry, Shadow. I'm sorry, Sam and Emperor Rudolph and Astarael. My fault, my fault, my fault... The words run through my head like an awful litany.  
  
~You have passed and survived. But we must tell you. It was not your fault. The Deathsaurer would have awoken anyway. You were just the first prey to come.~  
  
I look up and survey the room for the first time. A stone pedestal stands in the center. A pane of the black stone is above it. A ray of sun shines through the blackness, falling onto the pedestal.  
  
I slowly stand up and wearily make my way to the pedestal. A statue of a dragon rests on top of it. I look at the statue and growl in fustration. What do I do with it?  
  
Raven. "Apollyon?"Duh. Twist it. "Uh, thanks." I twist the statue. The pedestal splits open and a small piece of paper falls out. I pick it up. It's just more zoidian writing!Raven, see the column?See the runes? Put the paper in a slot on the back side.  
  
I comply and stick the paper in the slot, and step back. The runes glow a myriad of colors, and shift and spin until I can read them.  
  
Bloodlines traced upon the ground,  
  
Ere' pawprints break our beaten paths,  
  
Where numbers thin, yet wills run strong,  
  
By night we win man's brutal wrath,  
  
Man thriving pon' our sad bloodbaths,  
  
Lost native will, the land once hath...  
  
Bring pity back into our dark,  
  
Shed light upon your brutal casts,  
  
And try to find that brutal spark,  
  
That brought your many kin afore,  
  
To take our kind, if nothing more,  
  
To man the arc of history,  
  
To shed our deathwinds pon' it's masts...  
  
Look blindly pon' these brutal casts...  
  
Your fire bringing to the air,  
  
Your presence of the land affirmed,  
  
Our howls, weak, reeking despair,  
  
Our callings dead upon your lead,  
  
Your bitter, unforgiving germ...  
  
Pon' chain and rope and whip we've squirmed...  
  
For many lives of newborn pup,  
  
With lasting breath, their heads raise up,  
  
Their spirits weep their callings lost,  
  
Their parents' blood upon the grass,  
  
The hunger grows, time comes to pass,  
  
They lay their pain against the dark,  
  
Though moon and stars won't find their bark,  
  
Until man's will comes to their crest,  
  
They finally put their souls to rest...  
  
To coexist the native will,  
  
Adapt and be one with the trees,  
  
To follow scent and run the breeze,  
  
To love the pack, to share it's will,  
  
To care for kin, to bring down kill,  
  
To bring up pups, improve our skill,  
  
To nurture growth, have mouths to fill,  
  
To play and fight and just despite,  
  
What we succumb unto your might,  
  
Our shortened, bitter, hellish life,  
  
Their anger thins us like a knife,  
  
Until they grieve their unjust strife,  
  
Our loss in history not hushed...  
  
Finding the plains of prey forgone,  
  
We search the instincts of our kind,  
  
But strange new prey for soul to spawn,  
  
Has ruined our fragile way of mind,  
  
Man's blame to be our final find...  
  
  
  
To hide and pounce ere' sib or prey,  
  
To hunt, to bay ere' break of day,  
  
To trust our kin, feel warmth of May,  
  
Catch leaves of fall, make beds of snow,  
  
Have summer winds to shed our coats,  
  
To lap from streams' eternal flow,  
  
Feel winter winds' eternal blow...  
  
  
  
To birth new life, give it a home,  
  
Fell mother's tongue as nature's comb,  
  
To howl and bay, ere' break of day,  
  
Unto the night's eternal dome...  
  
Of old we roamed about the land,  
  
To search the breeze upon the trees,  
  
To search the lake's familiar sand,  
  
To coexist the native will,  
  
Until one day into our life,  
  
The white man came to hate and kill,  
  
To thin our numbers like a knife...  
  
We exist still, upon' the night,  
  
Though still does hate, our unjust plight,  
  
Still thrives the will, though, just despite,  
  
Upon our blood, the wolves of yore',  
  
Their longings shared forevermore,  
  
To live the life, upon man's knife,  
  
Not for revenge or settled score,  
  
To be the wolf, forevermore...  
  
  
  
With essence bright, where our souls burn,  
  
Upon the night, we only yearn...  
  
To be the wolf, forevermore...  
  
Welcome to Forgotten Dreams.  
  
A golden light gathers on the far side of the room. I squint, trying to make out the shape inside. The shape grows more solid, and falls out with a loud thump. The light disappears. I rush over to the still form and turn it over. It's Astarael! She opens her eyes and looks up.  
  
"Hey, Dragon. Knew you were coming." I smile, exhilarated at having her back. "Yep, Wolf." She sits up and hugs me. "So, are the others here?" I nod. She swings to her feet, still with her natural grace. "Let's go, then."  
  
She pulls me up and we plunge through the black wall. Shadowrage looks up. *Astarael! * He rushes over, and knocks her down. *Oops, sorry. * She leaps up and hugs him. "I missed you, Rage." "The others are outside."  
  
We turn and walk out into the sunrise. Liger and Fury become hysterical with joy, so we have to wait for five hours until they calm down. Finally, we set off. 


	23. The Bonding

The Bonding  
  
Astarael and I race across the plain, with the sun rising on our left. "Hey, Raven, you know that this isn't the best state of bonding with our zoids there can be, right?" I smile at her face, happy to have her back from the grave. "Yeah, I'd heard of it. What's the complete state?" She replies, "To achieve totality, you need an organoid, a zoid, and you. I don't need an organoid, as I still have some traces from Blind Seer. You'll have to lose at least once, to get full power. Let's get somewhere better, and I'll show you how to do it." I nod and activate the boosters.  
  
Van wandered around the base, looking at his shell-shocked soldiers. A light hand rested upon his shoulder. "Hi, Dr. D." The doc's grave face stared back.  
  
"Raven has escaped. And.. he has resurrected Astarael." Van spun around and stared. "That can't be! That's not possible." "It is possible, and it is the truth." Dr. D said bluntly. "How many times have we gone after Raven, Doc? How many?"  
  
The Doc sighed. "Only a few.. but it seems like millions of years ago you found him dying in the desert. We've learned so much about him since then. A, he is haunted by dreams of his past. B, he's a zoidian. C, he can endure horrible agony that would kill any of us. D, he has some sort of horrendously powerful guardian. And E, he can pilot the Liger Zero. That boy is much more powerful than I think even he knows."  
  
"This is good." It's a small lake, secluded in the mountains. Astarael deems it worthy of using the ground for the Bonding. We leap down from the zoids and drink. "Okay, are you ready?" Her green eyes sparkle with anticipation. "Born that way."  
  
We sit down on a ledge and lean back. She rests her head on my shoulder while Liger and Shadowrage lie down in front of us. "First, merge with Shadow. Once you're merged, you and Shadow will need to link your minds."  
  
I nod. "Shadow?" Wires shoot out and pull me inside with shocking speed. "Okay. Both of you, focus in on what you know of each other."  
  
I was twelve. "Raven, you have completed your training. I have something for you." Prozen looks down on me with pride, now that I'm ready to carry out his path of destruction. I trot down the hall, and walk into the hangar.  
  
Black metal, sky blue eyes. I look at the black organoid. I watch his eyes, and feel myself lost in his cobalt regard. "How strong you are Raven" the thought intruded on my mind, "how powerful and smart." A suffusion of warmth spreads through me.  
  
Shadow communicates that he's hungry. "Sir, is he mine?" Prozen nods. "Thank you, sir."  
  
He waves his hand dismissively. "Your zoid." He jerks his head at a red Zaber Fang. I slowly step over to it, with Shadow by my side. "Wow, he's huge." We can use this admirably. I nod. "Yeah, Shadow." We climb into the cockpit and set out on our path.  
  
Something bridges our minds, and suddenly we are together. I know his knowledge, I see through his eyes, as he does through me. "Okay, if your minds are linked, you can unmerge." I fall out and lay on the ground in a daze.  
  
Astarael's face appears in my vision. "Strange. I didn't say you should be cross-eyed." She laughs and pulls me upright. I stand up and walk over to Liger.  
  
"Okay" she instructs, "merge with Shadow, and then Shadow, merge with Liger." Shadow sucks me in. Our wings snap out, we seem to dissolve, and we fall downward in a rain of golden light. Liger roars as our bodies link.  
  
"Now, all three of you. See yourselves as three parts of a whole." We all think as one, and then we are linked, never to be alone again. We each have our own bodies, and our own minds, but all our experience is open to all of us. I smile, never again will I feel alone.  
  
We unmerge and separate. "Great. Now it's my turn." Astarael dissolves and shoots upward, and falls in a bolt of black lightning into Shadowrage.  
  
We watch, nothing happens, except that Shadowrage's eyes turn briefly black. Then Astarael leaps out. "Done."  
  
We sit back down on the rock and watch as Shadow, Fury, Liger, and Shadowrage spar. "So, where to now?" She sighed. " I think it'd be best to travel merged with the organoids and zooids. It'll be fast and more efficient." I tilt my head back and look at the sky. She leans in and puts her head on my shoulder. "So.. time to go?" "Yeah."  
  
We stand up and walk toward the zoids, and into the era of the Ultimate X.  
  
END  
  
*Wipes Forehead * Whew! Thank you, everyone who reviewed, and watch for the sequel! 


End file.
